Fight For Your Blood
by CGB2010
Summary: Lily Dixon fights to survive alongside her older brothers, Daryl and Merle in a world full of the walking dead. The bonds of family are strong, but their strength will be tested like never before.
1. Chapter 1

Fight for Your Blood

Daryl remembers the day he pedaled home on his bike to find his house up in flames. He remembers how he just knew that his mom went and set herself on fire. He remembers how the firefighters, the neighbors, hell, it seemed like everyone in the damn town just stared at him. But most of all, he remembers his baby sister screaming his name. He remembers running to her, holding her, because he knew they were all each other had left in this world. And he will never forget that.

…

20 years later

"Look, Merle, I'll just go with you. I'm fine, really!" I said, trying to make Merle understand.

He shook his head. "You've been up all night, Lily, you're dead on yer feet. You're just gonna slow me down. Come on now, you stay in this tree and paint your fingernails or do some girly shit like that. Daryl will be back soon. I gotta go hunt."

I shook my head, stubborn as always. "I ain't stayin' here alone –" Merle cut me off, abruptly shoving me against the tree trunk.

"Kid, you're wearin' on my last nerve. Now get in that fuckin' tree before I lose my shit!" I pushed Merle away and rubbed at my shoulder. I hated when he got this way. He just needed another hit of whatever drug he was currently hooked on. I knew that's what he was sneaking away to do.

"I'm not a kid," I said, climbing into the tree as Merle watched. "I'm 22 fucking years old, not some kid you can push around."

Merle threw his hands up in the air and smiled as soon as I found a comfortable branch. "See," He said, "You do what I say, we'll all be fine. Wait for Darlyna and try not to get yerself killed, Lily Bird." I crossed my arms over my chest and watched him walk away. God sometimes I just couldn't stand my oldest brother. He was crass, violent, and racist, but he was one of the two people I had left in my life.

I leaned my head back against the tree. Merle was right, even though I hated to admit it. I was dead on my feet. I had taken watch last night so Daryl could finally get some sleep. We had been trekking through the woods for weeks now, ever since the world went to shit, and I could tell the long nights keeping watch for walkers were wearing on all of us.

I was sitting on the widest branch I could get to and I crossed my legs in front of me. My eyes were drawn to the crisscrossing gashes on my knees and shins. I traced my finger over the healing gash on my left knee, my thoughts drifting back to the night I got it. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, remembering that horrible night…

"_Hey sugar!" I looked up from the table I was clearing. That asshole better not be talking to me. "Hey you, waitress!" He was definitely talking to me. I looked across the bar to find the guy. Of course. Typical redneck with his camo hat, farmers tan, and cutoff flannel shirt. Once he saw that he had my attention, he flagged me over with an empty glass in his beefy hand. "We need another round over here! Hustle up!"_

_Refraining from slamming my rag on the table, I stuffed it in my back pocket and stormed over to the bar to get their refills. My boss Paul, who was also the bartender, looked up at me when he saw me come up to the bar. "How's it going tonight, Lily?"_

"_You know how much I just love our customers, Paul! Five Bud Lights, by the way for the assholes in the corner." Paul just nodded and set the beers on a tray in front of me. "Wanna look the other way while I spit in em'?" I asked, winking._

_Paul looked at me, concerned. "They better not be touchin' you. After last week –" I put my hand up._

"_Paul, no one's gonna touch me in this town after what my brothers did to that guy that slapped my ass last week. Relax," I said, laughing._

_Paul smiled knowingly. "Yeah, I wouldn't mess with Daryl and Merle. Especially Merle, that dude's got a crazy side to him." I smiled and nodded in agreement. I hustled the beers over to the guys, not wanting to make them wait any longer. I was already pretty sure I wouldn't be getting a tip. _

_After all my tables seemed okay, I went back to my task of cleaning the empty tables. It was nearing the end of the night and I was hoping to get off work at a decent time so I didn't have to make Daryl wait. I wouldn't be dependent on my brother to drive my ass around if my stupid car hadn't broken down this morning, but that was the way things were going for me. Figures._

_For the past two years since I moved out of my dad's house I had been trying to make it on my own, but I still felt strangely dependent on my older brothers. Our dad had died about 5 years ago, and ever since that whole ordeal had been over I had been trying to make a new life for myself. I wanted to forget everything about the old one. Merle got me my job, Daryl's always checking up on me, and now I was being driven around town in Daryl's pick-up like a little kid. I shook the thoughts of my past out of my head and went back to the menial task of cleaning tables, filling salt shakers, and putting sugar packets out. _

_The bar thinned out quickly, and by twelve thirty it was empty. "Hey, Lily?" Paul called from the kitchen. "Let's close early tonight, just finish up cutting the lemons for tomorrow and we can head out."_

"_I'm on it!" I told Paul, skipping to the counter. I was thrilled to get out of bar early for once. I couldn't wait to get out of my smelly clothes and relax. After a long night at the bar I always felt like the smell of stale beer and Jack Daniels just lingered on me. I was already on my third lemon when I heard the sound of the door opening. "Shit." I said under my breath, cursing myself for not locking the door. "We're closed." I said, not even bothering to look up from my cutting board. I heard the person growl and I looked up. Who the fuck would be growling like that? _

_A man who was walking like he was drunk, almost shuffling, was coming towards me. He looked batshit crazy and I instantly stood up straighter. "Hey buddy, we're closed, you'll have to come back tomorrow." I said, using my no nonsense tone. The man just stared at me with dead eyes and growled some more. What was this guy's problem? "Look dude, are you even listening?" I put my hands on my hips, getting annoyed. The guy just kept coming, never saying a word, just moaning in a creepy way._

_As soon as he reached the bar, he reached for me over the counter. I grew up surrounded by hillbillies, I know how to handle myself around guys that get in my face, but something about this guy's greyish skin, yellow eyes, and rotting smell genuinely scared me. I backed up into the bottles behind me and a couple of them fell off the shelf, smashing to the floor at my feet. _

"_Lily, what the hell are you doing back –" Paul said, rounding the corner into the bar area. He stopped when he saw the creep reaching for me over the bar. "Hey!" He shouted. At his shout, the guy shuffled towards Paul. "We're closed, asshole. Get the fuck out of here before I call the cops." The guy kept walking towards Paul, like he couldn't hear him. "Alright, fine. I'll show you the way out." Paul said, taking a threatening step towards the guy. _

_All of the sudden my gut was telling me there was something very wrong with this man. He wasn't just crazy, he was _dangerous_. "Paul, wait –" I started to say, but Paul had already grabbed the guy's arm._

_I will never forget what happened next for as long as I live. The image is absolutely seared into my memory. As Paul pulled the guy towards the door, the creep sunk his teeth into Paul's neck and just fucking ripped his throat out. I immediately pressed my hand to my mouth so I wouldn't scream and I dropped to my knees behind the bar. Partly because I wanted to hide from this crazy cannibal, and party because my legs wouldn't hold me up anymore. I gasped as the glass from the shattered bottles bit into my legs._

_All I could hear were gurgling noises, probably from Paul, and the sound of ripping flesh. I needed to get the fuck out of there. I crawled completely under the bar and that's when I saw it. Paul's shotgun. With shaking hands, I reached for the gun. I wasn't going to cower under this bar and wait for that guy to eat me. I was a Dixon, dammit, and I would kill this guy before he killed me. The weight told me it was fully loaded and I readied it to shoot before I stood up. _

_The creep had his back to me since he was bent over Paul's body, just fucking chowing down. I didn't want to take any chances so I aimed for his head and pulled the trigger. The back of his head exploded and what was left of his body toppled onto Paul. I gasped and turned around, not wanting to look at the disgusting scene before me. I caught sight of myself in the big mirror behind the bar and it seemed like time slowed down as I stared back at my reflection. My long, dirty blonde hair was falling out of my ponytail around my face and my blue eyes stared back at me in shock. What have I done? I thought._

_I came out of my trance when I heard the front door bang open. I whipped around to see who it was. "What the fuck was that? I heard a gun – " It was Daryl. He stopped when he saw the bodies. I still stood behind the bar, I couldn't bring myself to move from my spot. Daryl looked at me, "You okay?" He asked._

_I shook my head and Daryl walked towards me. He slowly walked behind the bar and his face fell. "Jesus, Lil what the hell happened? You're bleedin' all over the place." _

_I looked down. "I am?" I asked, stupidly. He was right. My knees and shins were streaked with blood. "It was the glass." I said, finally realizing what happened. The shock of the situation seemed to be melting away with Daryl's presence. I took a deep breath. I was safe now. Daryl stared at me blankly. "I broke the bottles when he came after me. Daryl, that guy," I said, pointing at the mess of bodies on the ground, "He bit Paul. He was eating him. I had to kill him, I had no choice. God there was so much blood and the sounds they were making…I didn't know what –" Daryl suddenly pulled me to him in a rare hug. _

"_Jesus, girl you could have died." I heard him mumble in my ear. Daryl pulled away all too quickly, his usual tough exterior taking over. "Come on," he said, pulling me out of the bar towards the door, his practical side coming out, as usual. "Let's get out of here, call that good for nothin' sheriff and get him down here. Time he did somethin' besides arrest Merle for once." I stumbled after Daryl, into his truck. He started the engine and pressed his phone into my hand. _

_Daryl peeled out of the parking lot as I dialed 911. The phone just rang and rang on the other end. I waited. Daryl glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "No one's gonna pick up," I said, giving up. What the hell was going on? _

_Daryl huffed. "Let's head to my place, see what we can find out on TV." I nodded and stared out the window. Something soft landed in my lap and I looked down to see a rag. I looked at Daryl and he pointed at my feet. "Wipe up that blood on yer legs, I'll find ya somethin' to put on em' at the house." I nodded and bent down to clean off the gashes._

_Suddenly and without warning, Daryl slammed on the breaks and my shoulder slammed into the dashboard in front of me as I was thrown out of my seat, completely stunned…_

My body jerked and I woke up to the sensation of falling. There was a split second of panic before I crashed to the ground on my back, all the air leaving my body. I gasped on the ground for a couple seconds, assessing the damage. I gingerly sat up and that's when I heard it. The ragged moaning of a walker. Perfect fucking timing. I stood up as quickly as I could and pulled my knife out. Thank god Daryl always made me keep it on me.

I turned around to face the walkers and to my horror there were three of them making their way towards me. I stepped back in shock and that's when shit totally hit the fan. I lost my footing and I found myself tumbling down a steep hill, ass over teacup. I came to an abrupt stop when my left side slammed into a tree at the bottom of the hill. Again, I lay gasping for a few seconds before I sat up, using the tree as support.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and tried to get a handle on my breathing, but I couldn't seem to do anything besides gasp. I pressed my hand to my forehead and it came away red and sticky. My head was bleeding, I was sure I had some cracked ribs, and maybe a broken wrist. I didn't even know where to begin with thinking about everything I had done wrong in the last minute. How did I miss the big fucking hill right behind me? And how did I even fall out of that tree in the first place? I guess I should have known sleeping in a tree was a bad idea, but I did what I could since stupid Merle wasn't watching my back. I silently fumed, gripping my knife with my good hand. I could only imagine how many walkers I was attracting with the blood oozing down my face and all the noise I had just made. I probably should have just ringed the dinner bell, it certainly would have saved me the trouble.

It didn't take long for the walkers to catch up to me. As soon as I heard shuffling on the other side of my tree, I huffed and hastily pulled my long hair back into a ponytail, getting ready to face whatever was coming. I bet those same fucking walkers were back. I heard their disgusting moaning again. I still clutched the familiar handle of my hunting knife with my good hand, preparing to fight for my life. I slowly stood up and my head briefly swam before everything came back into focus. Stupid head wound. I took a deep breath to steady myself and leapt out from behind the tree.

There were three of them. One was only a few yards away, but the others were further away. I had to work fast or else they would swarm me. I ran at the closest walker, knife at the ready. I stabbed at the flesh on his face, trying to get the eyes, and he pawed at me with his gross dead hands. I'm ashamed to say I screamed a couple times, terrified that I was going to get scratched or bit. Finally, the walker fell, my knife protruding from its eye.

I was gasping and my injuries were pulsating with the beat of my heart, but I yanked the knife out of the dead walker and prepared to fight the other two. They were both grunting, hands stretched towards me, and I had a feeling of pure terror race through me. I instinctively started to run the other way because my odds coming out unscathed against two walkers with nothing but a hunting knife were slim to none. I was in a dead sprint, racing in the other direction when something whizzed by me. I heard a dull thud from behind, and I turned around, chancing a glance at the walkers.

One of them was face down on the ground, a familiar arrow partially sticking out of the back of its head. As I stared, another arrow whizzed dangerously close to my head and I instinctively threw myself to the ground. I watched the arrow hit the other walker right between the eyes and I breathed a sigh of relief as it fell to the ground. My heart was beating out of my chest and it seemed like a good idea to stay on the ground. After a couple seconds, I crawled behind the tree closest to me. I used the tree as support to stand up and I just leaned against it, trying to calm down. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, once again trying to get my heartbeat under control while I waited for Daryl. Not for the first time since this whole end of the world business started, I found myself thinking _thank God for Daryl_.

I opened my eyes when I heard Daryl run up. He looked frantic. "You bit?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I'm good, just a little shook up." I said, still a little breathless.

He gave me a curt nod. I could see the anger seeping into his face. "What the hell happened?" He asked, then quickly added, "And where the fuck is Merle? You two were 'sposed to stay together till I got back."

I held up my hands, defensive. "Merle made me stay behind, I don't know where the hell he went. I fell out of that stupid tree and wound up rollin' down that hill." Daryl looked at me like I was an idiot and I didn't blame him. He walked over to the dead walkers and pulled the arrows out of their heads. There was a sickening squelching noise that I tried to ignore.

"What the hell are you two losers doin' down there?" Daryl and I both looked up when we heard Merle's voice at the top of the hill.

Daryl rolled his eyes at me and beckoned Merle with an impatient wave of his hand. "Get yer sorry ass down here, you stupid piece of shit!"

Merle tromped down the hill and whistled as soon as he saw my face. "What the hell happened, Lily Bird? Thought you said you weren't a kid, somethin' about bein' able to handle yerself…"

I pushed myself off the tree and shoved Merle. "Shut the fuck up, asshole! Yer the one that made me stay in that damn tree. What the hell did you think would happen, huh? I was already fuckin' half asleep when you just left me!"

Merle threw his hands up. "Aw sure, just blame Ol' Merle, as usual, it's all my fault." He laughed and I saw that his eyes were glazed over. Definitely high on something. Figures.

"I can't even talk to you right now, you're high as a fuckin' kite. Just stay the hell away from me, you stupid junkie!" I said, shoving him away again.

My words wiped the smirk right off of Merle's face and I could tell he was _really_ about to lose it. Apparently Daryl could sense it too. "Shut up! Both of ya, I think I hear somethin'," He said, putting his hand on Merle's chest.

I glared at Merle over Daryl's shoulder, but then Daryl abruptly shoved me to the side while aiming his crossbow in one motion. I hissed in pain when Daryl's arm came into contact with my injured ribs and I doubled over to clutch my side. Now what was going on?

I felt Daryl's hand on my shoulder, forcing me to stand up straight. "Damn herd of walkers. Not goin' back that way, that's fer damn sure…" He paused and looked at me for a second. He seemed to be thinking about something. He huffed then said, "Think you can run? The truck ain't far, maybe a mile up that way." I nodded, not altogether certain I was up to the task, I could barely stand up straight as it was.

Daryl turned to Merle. "I got this, baby brother. Let's get out of here." He said, survival instincts obviously kicking in over the drugs in his system.

We took off and I did my best to match their pace. Merle shouted over his shoulder, "Need me to carry ya, _kid_?"

"Shut up," I gasped out. I heard him laugh. I didn't think anything about the situation was funny. I felt like I was running a race with a knife sticking in my side. I almost felt like I was going to collapse when I finally saw the road. Daryl's truck was parked a ways up the road and I could almost taste the safety it promised. Unfortunately, the momentary distraction was all it took to send me crashing to the ground. I tripped over a fucking tree root. I landed harshly on my already injured side, knocking all of the wind out of me and for a scary moment I couldn't get any air into my lungs. I looked up towards Daryl and Merle while gasping on the ground like a fish out of water and all I managed to get out was, "Help…" Thankfully Daryl turned back when I fell and gave me a dirty look before he ran back to me. I could feel the blood running down the side of my face from my head wound, and for some reason as I watched him run back to me with that scowl on his face I felt like crying. _Pull your shit together!_ I angrily thought.

"Come on, Lil, I ain't lettin' them get you that easily. Let's go." He pulled me up by my arm and slung it around his shoulders. We managed to stagger/run towards the car for a while, but suddenly a walker stumbled out of the tree line way too close to us for comfort. Daryl stopped and fired a bolt right through its head. He turned back to me, "We gotta move faster or we ain't gonna make it." I didn't even have time to protest before he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder. He started running and I tried my best to stifle my screams. My ribs were painfully jarred with every step he took and I gripped the back of his shirt with all my strength to distract myself.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally stopped and lowered me to the ground. As soon as I stood up, all of the blood drained from my head and I found myself on all fours, either about to pass out or vomit, I couldn't tell. "Come on, get in!" He barked, opening the door and jumping in. He reached down and grabbed my upper arm, hauling me into the car behind him. I noticed Merle was behind the wheel as Daryl reached over me to slam the door. I chanced a glance behind us and I gasped in horror. There were at least twenty walkers gaining on us. Where the hell did they all come from?! Merle floored the gas as soon as the engine roared to life and I watched as the walkers disappeared in the distance.

"What the fuck was that?!" Merle exclaimed, pounding his fist against the steering wheel. I was still trying to keep myself from projectile vomiting all over the car so I didn't say anything. "If you're gonna puke, Lily Bird, just don't. That smell'll never leave this truck." He said, glancing at me, laughing at his own joke.

I could feel Daryl's eyes on me and I turned to look at him. His eyes were immediately drawn to my head. I looked down, self-conscious all of the sudden, and I took a glance in the rearview mirror at my reflection. I almost didn't recognize myself. The left side of my face was coated in blood, sweat, and tears and as I prodded my head wound I could tell it was still bleeding. My blue eyes were surrounded by dark shadows; I looked like I was on death's doorstep. I almost felt like crying again, it was so obviously not my day.

I attempted to press my sleeve to my head and face to staunch the blood flow and Daryl put his hand on my shoulder. "Come here," He said, pulling me closer to him. I scooted over and he pulled out his knife. "Gimme your arm," he grunted, and I held out my left arm. He used the knife to cut off my sleeve. I gasped when he pulled the sleeve over my injured left wrist and he looked at me again. "Any other injuries I should know about?"

"Nothin' life threatening," I said, looking away, embarrassed. "I think my wrist is broken, or at least sprained. Maybe a couple cracked ribs…this," I said, pointing to my head. He nodded and balled up my sleeve before pressing it to my head. I winced and he reached over to grab my right hand, switching my hand with his to hold the makeshift pad in place. I nodded in thanks and scooted back over to the window. I couldn't stop the water works from coming and I swiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks. God forbid Merle saw me crying, he would probably pull over to slap some sense into me.

Daryl surprised me by putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me towards him again. I rested my head against his chest and pretty soon the tears stopped flowing. We drove in complete silence and I tried to think of something other than my still roiling stomach and the pain from my various injuries. Pretty soon the urge to throw up went away and the humming of the car and the trees whizzing by lulled me to sleep.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"…fuckin' coddle her all the time." I woke to Merle's angry voice.

"I ain't coddlin' her! We need to find supplies, get those injuries treated, she's still bleedin'! Look at my damn shirt." Daryl responded. I wanted to sit up, but I couldn't find the energy. I let myself drift back to sleep.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"…Lily…hey, wake up, Lil," I could hear Daryl's voice, trying to rouse me. I wanted to respond, but I felt totally foggy, like I was under water. What the hell was wrong with me?

I managed to flutter my eyes open, and I could tell it was dark outside and we were still driving. I could feel myself starting to drift off again, then I heard Merle's angry voice. "Give her a slap, that'll snap her out of it…"

"…not helpin'…" I heard Daryl say, before I felt a rough shove to my shoulder and I was pushed into the window, off Daryl's chest. The sharp pain in my ribs brought me back to consciousness like a bucket of water thrown over my head. I groaned.

I heard Merle laugh, "Sleepin' beauty finally wakes up, about time, Lily Bird." I was still trying to manage all the pain I was feeling, I couldn't even form the words for a response. I gently touched the left side of my forehead because that seemed to be the center of all the pain and it felt wet and sticky. I was still bleeding. I glanced over at Daryl and he was staring at me, watching my every move. His shirt was covered in my blood and I suddenly felt nauseated. I put my head against the window, enjoying the cold, and before I knew it I was drifting off again.

.

.

.

.

.

.

When I woke next, the world was tilted at an angle and it took me a couple seconds to realize someone was carrying me. It had to be Daryl. I was able to just barely open my eyes and from the strange angle I could make out what I thought to be a big RV. An unfamiliar man with a shotgun came into view.

"Who the hell are you?" was all I heard before I passed out again.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I heard voices wherever I was, but just couldn't seem to drag myself out of my slumber. I drifted away again… back to the memories.

_My seven year old self sat on the floor of my little bedroom playing with some old barbies Daryl had found for me in one of the neighbor's dumpsters. I was trying to ignore the growling in my stomach, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I hadn't eaten all day because Daddy was in one of his moods and I was trying to stay away from him. Before Daryl had left for work in the morning he had warned me. "You stay away from the old man today, Lil. He's in a mood, ya hear?"_

"_Okay, Daryl." I had promised. After Daryl's warning I had been too afraid to leave the room for fear I would run into Daddy. He was scary and mean. _

_After another couple minutes, I decided I couldn't ignore it anymore. My stomach was hurting because I was so hungry. I decided I would just sneak into the kitchen and grab something to eat, then scamper back to my room before Daddy saw me. I opened my door, and being careful not to make any noise, began tiptoeing across the hallway. Daddy was sleeping on the couch in the living room, empty bottle of whiskey lying on the floor beside him. _

_Once I was in the kitchen, I opened the fridge, hoping to find something to eat. My face fell when I saw the shelves were bare except for some old milk and a moldy loaf of bread. Nothing there._

_I closed the fridge and stared up at the pantry. Surely we would have some cereal in there, even if it was stale. The problem was getting up there to open the cabinet. I knew I would have to climb on top of the counter to reach the cabinet because I was too short to open it from the ground. Luckily I was well practiced in the art of climbing the cabinets to reach the counter. _

_I managed to get on top of the counter relatively easily and then I opened the pantry. We didn't have much, but I did see a box of cheerios that felt like it had a good amount left. My stomach snarled in anticipation. The momentary lapse in concentration was all it took for my foot to nudge a glass that was sitting on the counter. I tried to grab it, but the glass fell to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces. "What the fuck?" I heard Daddy yell. My stomach dropped and I hugged the cereal box to my chest, hearing Daddy's thundering footsteps coming closer to me. When he saw the glass on the floor and me sitting on the counter, his face grew livid. "Girl, yer gonna get it!"_

_He grabbed me by my arms and lifted me off the counter. I slammed my forehead against the cabinet door but he didn't seem to care. "Daddy, I'm sorry!" I screamed, dropping the cereal on the floor in surprise. Daddy threw me over his shoulder and began walking down the hallway back to the living room. _

"_Yer not sorry now, but yer gonna be!" He shouted while he walked. I sobbed, knowing he was going to get the belt. Just as we got to the living room, the front door opened and Daryl walked in, a shocked expression on his face._

"_What the fuck is goin' on here?" He asked. _

"_Stay outta this, boy." Daddy dropped me onto the floor, keeping a firm grip on my arm. I was screaming now, knowing it was coming. _

"_Don' touch her you fuckin' drunk!" Daryl shouted, throwing his bag to the ground and coming into the room to push Daddy away from me. As soon as Daddy let me go, I got up and ran into my room, slamming the door and locking it._

_I put my pillow over my head, trying to ignore the sounds of Daryl fighting with Daddy. Daddy always won because he was bigger than Daryl. After a couple minutes, I heard the sound of the door slamming. I curled up into a ball on my bed, praying Daddy was gone. After a few minutes I heard the sound of soft knocking on my door. "Lily?" Came the sound of Daryl's voice. _

_I shot up and opened the door, jumping into Daryl's arms. "I'm sorry!" I sobbed, over and over again. Daryl's nose was bleeding and he had a bruise on his cheek. "I was hungry… knocked over the glass… Daddy woke up." I managed to mumble. _

"_It's okay, Lily. Let's get ya some ice fer that forehead. Then I'll make ya some dinner." I put my head on his shoulder and nodded. Everything was okay, Daryl was there to protect me… _

It was quiet when I woke up. I slowly dragged my eyes open only to slam them shut again; it was very bright in the room I was in. Wait, room? I forced myself to open my eyes even though the brightness made my head pound. I was laying on a bed, but I wasn't in a room, I was in an RV. How the hell did I get here? I thought to myself. I tried to remember back to last night, but all I was getting were bits and pieces. I remembered being in the truck with Daryl and Merle and falling asleep. After that things were really hazy. The last thing I remembered was looking sideways at a man with a shotgun pointed at me. Where were my brothers?

My heart started beating faster and suddenly I wanted out of the bed. I needed to find Daryl and Merle. First things first though I needed to use the bathroom. I sat up only to double over from the pain in my ribs. Once I was sitting up, I could see clearly the large bandage covering my sore wrist. Trying to ignore the pain, I stood up from the bed and held onto the nightstand next to it to stop the room from spinning. I could tell I had been lying down for a while because my balance was so off.

I made my way over to the bathroom and locked myself in. After I was finished, I stood up and caught my reflection out of the corner of my eye. I turned around to look in the mirror and the girl who stared back at me was downright scary; forehead covered in a large white bandage, thin face streaked with blood and dirt, blonde hair going in every direction, and blue eyes that stared back at me with a haunted expression.

I hadn't realized I had looked this terrible. No wonder Daryl had let me lay on him last night. I could feel more tears coming at the thought of my horrible appearance, but I pushed them away. I had to find my brothers, not sit in the bathroom and cry like a baby. I slowly made my way to the front of the RV and then down the steps, not really knowing what I would see when I left the little space.

I didn't expect to see so many people! There were little kids running around and plenty of adults doing different chores. I didn't see any signs of my brothers. What if they had left me here? I jumped when I felt a presence next to me. "Oh, sweetheart, you shouldn't be out of bed. You look like you're barely standing!" The woman who was talking to me was a tall, thin brunette with long hair. She was standing next to a man with dark hair and I immediately recognized him as the man with the shotgun from the night before.

"Where am I? Where are my brothers?" I asked her, ignoring her comment, and eyeing the man warily.

The woman smiled kindly at me. "You're at our camp, your brothers brought you here last night; you were hurt pretty badly. I'm Lori by the way." She held out her hand and I tentatively shook it, still feeling scared and totally out of place. "Your brothers went hunting this morning, they'll be back soon."

The man held out his hand next. "I'm Shane, nice to meet ya."

"Lily." I shook his hand as well and he grimaced at me, taking in my appearance.

"Why don't you let me help you back into the RV? You look a little pale." I wished my brothers were here, I didn't need this guy helping me with anything.

Why the hell would Daryl and Merle leave me here by myself with a bunch of strangers? Before I could think any more of it, I heard the sound of Merle's voice. "Whatcha doin outta bed, girly?" I whirled around and saw him and Daryl walking towards us. It looked like they had had a successful hunting trip by the looks of all the dead squirrels Daryl was carrying.

"Lookin' for you two." I shot back, hoping to keep the edge off my voice. Merle shot me a sharp glare and grabbed the squirrels from Daryl.

"I'll clean them squirrels, you can go pamper the princess." Merle laughed at his own joke and Daryl just rolled his eyes. He made his way over to us and came to stand beside me. Shane and Lori stared at Daryl and I could tell he was uncomfortable.

"I was just asking Lily if she wanted to go back to the RV and rest." Shane awkwardly stated like I wasn't standing right there.

Daryl nodded. "Whatcha think?" He asked, looking at me.

I shrugged. Honestly I would have liked nothing better than to curl up in the RV and sleep some more, but I didn't want to take up these people's space. My head was aching, my wrist smarted, and I could barely stand up straight with the pain in my ribs, but I shook my head. "I'm fine, I'll just stick with you." Daryl rolled his eyes at me, clearly not believing me. When I could tell Daryl wasn't going to respond to Lori and Shane, I turned to them. "Thanks for the offer, but really I'll be fine."

Lori smiled back at me. "No problem, honey. We'll be around if you need us; we're glad to have you here.

I nodded and Daryl walked away, nodding for me to follow him. I saw our tent set up on the other side of the camp, Merle sitting on a chair next to it, gutting the squirrels. When we were out of earshot he turned to me. "Someone offers you a bed, you should take it, Lil."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not gonna sit in there alone, I don't even know these people. Why the fuck did you leave me alone?"

Daryl shrugged. "Didn't think you were gonna wake up so soon. You were passed out cold all night. Didn't even flinch when the cop put those stiches in yer head."

I touched my head in shock, feeling the stitches through the bandage. "Shane stitched me up?"

"That's what I said." Daryl responded, stepping towards our tent. Merle looked up when he saw me.

"Ya look like a mummy with all them bandages, Lily Bird." He snickered.

"Shut up, it's yer fault this happened. I fell out of a fuckin' tree because of you." I snapped back. I had a splitting headache and didn't feel like dealing with Merle.

He pointed his knife at me, bloody from the squirrel guts. "You better watch yer mouth, girl. I won' hesitate to slap ya around even if yer hurt, hear me?"

I just glared back at him, knowing what he said was true. I wasn't in any condition to fight him off. Of course it was Daryl to break the tension. "Come on, Lil. I'll show you the quarry, you need to clean yer face and I gotta wash my damn shirt from last night." I just shrugged, still glaring at Merle, until Daryl pulled me by my elbow and made me follow him.

As we got further away from the camp, I asked Daryl, "So what the hell happened last night?"

Daryl shrugged. "You were a fuckin' mess, kept passin' out and shit in the car so I made Merle stop when I saw their cooking fire. Thought maybe they had some medical supplies. It took some convincin' to get officer friendly back there to help us, but once I told him I would hunt for em' and we could hold our own, he gave in. Weird ass bunch of people though. Merle already wants to get out of here."

I nodded, mentally agreeing with Merle for once. "Maybe we should. Too many people here."

"Too many people, but it's safer fer us." I raised my eyebrows and glanced over at Daryl questioningly. He shrugged, seeing my face. "It's true, Merle ain't been any help lately, it'd be nice to have more people keepin' watch at night. Won't have to stay up all night every damn night." I had to admit Daryl had a point there.

"Merle's getting bad again." I said, agreeing with him.

"Yeah, best stay away from Merle till he snaps outta his funk. You know the drill." I sighed, nodding. Sometimes I felt like our lives revolved around Merle's drug addiction. We walked the rest of the way to the quarry in silence, and I grinned in excitement when I saw the water. I felt disgusting with all the dried blood and dirt on me.

I practically ran up to the water, trying to ignore the pounding in my head with each step I took. I slipped my shoes off and waded into the water, being careful not to get my shorts wet. Daryl just watched me and laughed, leaning down to start washing his shirt. "Think I can take this bandage off my head so I can clean my face better?"

Daryl looked up from his shirt. "Go 'head, I got a couple extra bandages from the cop. Just don' touch them stitches, that water's not clean, might get 'em infected. I'll boil some water later if you wanna clean 'em better." I nodded and reached up to peel away the bandage. "Don' let yer wrist get wet though, we ain't got an extra one of those. Yer gonna have to keep that wrapped up fer a while, it might be broke, we ain't sure."

After I had wiped away all the dirt and blood off my legs, arms and face I felt much more human. All the movement had really aggravated my injuries though; my head was throbbing, and my ribs were sending stabbing pains through my body every time I breathed. I stepped out of the water and slowly lifted up my shirt to inspect the damage. I groaned when I saw my ribs; they almost looked black, the bruising was so dark. "Shit…" I muttered to myself.

"Damn, girl! Ain't you been eatin'? Can see every one of them damn bruised ribs." Daryl stood up, walking closer to get a better look but I pulled my shirt down.

"I'm fine, Daryl." I groaned, trying to ignore the pain.

Daryl rolled his eyes, wringing out his wet shirt. "Don' look fine to me. I'll get ya somethin' outta Merle's stash when we get back to the tent. Somethin' to take the edge off."

"Thanks, Daryl." I smiled at him gratefully. He nodded and we began walking back towards the camp.

By the time we got back to the tent, I was huffing and puffing. I gracelessly collapsed on top of Daryl's cot and threw my arm over my eyes. I could hear Daryl rummaging around on the other side of the tent. "Where the fuck's Merle?" He grunted. "Never here when I fuckin' need him. How the hell am I 'sposed to know what pills I'm lookin' at here?"

I groaned. "Just forget it, Daryl. I'll sleep it off." I didn't want to chance taking the wrong pill. That would be a fucking disaster. Who knew what the hell Merle had in his stash.

Daryl didn't listen to me. I could still hear him shaking the pill bottles around. The sound of the tent being ripped open had me shooting into a sitting position and I gasped. The pain in my side knocked the wind out of me. As soon as I caught my breath I looked up to see Merle standing in the tent. "Jesus, Merle, why you rippin' the tent open like that? Scared the shit out of me." I said, glaring at him.

Merle didn't even look at me, his eyes were drawn to the bag of drugs in Daryl's hands. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked, his tone scary.

Daryl shrugged. "Lookin' for a pain pill fer Lily. What's it look like I'm doin'?"

I could see Merle's face turning red. "You don't fuckin' touch my stuff!" He shouted. I jumped at the sudden outburst. Merle snatched the bag back from Daryl.

"Fuck's yer problem?" Daryl snapped right back. "She's hurt and you got a whole bag of meds sittin' right there, you can't spare one goddamn pill?"

Merle stepped right up in Daryl's face. "I'll say it again, baby brother. You don't fuckin touch my stuff." After each word he poked Daryl's chest. I saw the anger flash in Daryl's eyes before he forcefully shoved Merle away.

Sensing the escalating situation, I stood up, trying to get between them. "Guys, just stop before you do somethin' –" I got cut off when Daryl shoved me back towards the bed. I plopped down on my ass, slightly losing my balance.

"Stay out of this, Lily." Daryl snapped at me. I fucking hated this shit. "I'm so fuckin' tired of yer bullshit!" Daryl spat at Merle. Merle just chuckled and started to turn around like he was gonna leave. Then, suddenly, he threw a punch, catching Daryl in the jaw.

"What the fuck, Merle?!" I screamed as Daryl was thrown backwards onto Merle's cot with the force of the blow.

Merle put up his hands and I flinched back reflexively. "Now listen here," he said, "we do things my way, got it? So just fuckin' do as I say!" He yelled at us, totally unhinged. As he walked out of the tent, I could hear him muttering to himself. He was definitely losing it.

…

The weeks stretched on, and nothing really crazy happened after that first day at the camp. My injuries slowly healed, and as much as I hated to admit it, I kind of liked being around more people. I felt safer knowing there were a lot of people around keeping watch other than just Daryl and I. And we hadn't seen a single walker the entire time, which was the best part of it all.

"Pass me that water bottle, Lil." I blinked at Daryl, coming out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I asked, stupidly.

Daryl scowled at me. "The water, dummy. Give it here." I narrowed my eyes at him but passed over the small bottle at my feet. Daryl and I were currently sitting on top of the RV, keeping lookout while the others sat around the fire, probably telling ghost stories or some shit like that. I could hear the old man's voice carrying. It sounded like they were having a grand old time.

"That Dale guy is a weirdo. The way he looks at everyone with those wide eyes?" I turned to Daryl and he nodded in agreement, eyes scanning the forest. I stared at the rest of the group, assessing the different people. The two blondes, Andrea and Amy who were always together, Jim the mechanic who was quiet and to be honest, fuckin' strange, Jacque and T-Dog, the only two black people of the group.

Then there was Glenn, the Asian guy who was my age. Poor guy tried to get friendly with me when we first got to camp. Didn't go over well with Merle when he saw us talking, he put a stop to that shit real fast. I can still picture Glenn's face when Merle said, "You ever talk to my sister again, I'll cut yer fuckin' head off, kid." Yeah, that stunt made us all real popular with the group.

Then there were the families. The Hispanic family whose names I couldn't remember and could care less about, Lori, Carl, and the cop, Shane, who always seemed to be together, and Carol and her kid with her ex-army husband. So many damn people, I didn't even know everyone's name. I felt like I really didn't know much about any of these people and that's how I liked to keep it. "Hey," Daryl interrupted my thoughts again and I looked up. "Maybe you should be watchin' for walkers instead of starin' at those people. None of our damn business."

I felt my face redden, Daryl caught me red handed. "I'm not starin'." I said, defiantly.

Daryl scoffed. "Kay, whatever."

We sat in silence for a couple minutes. I could hear the cop talking about taking a trip to Atlanta. There had been talk of making a supply run to the city for more supplies. "Hey, Daryl, how 'bout that trip to Atlanta?"

"What about it?" He asked, not breaking eye contact with the forest around us.

I shrugged. "I dunno, I was thinkin' we could ask for some stuff. I wanted –"

Daryl cut me off, "We don't need nothin' from these people. Got everything we need here."

I huffed. "Well I can think of a few things I need. Maybe I'll just go with 'em."

Daryl finally turned to look at me. "No way. You ain't goin'. That's it."

I raised my eyebrows. Seriously? "Daryl, I'm a grown woman, I can make my own decisions, you can't just –"

"No, Lily, listen here. We don' know these assholes, I'm yer brother, yer blood. We stick together, I ain't lettin' you waltz into that city. It's crawlin' with geeks. No fuckin' way." Daryl stepped right up to me as he spoke, looking down at me.

"Well, Daryl –" I started.

"That's it, Lil. We ain't fuckin' talkin' about this anymore. It's done." Daryl ended the conversation, looking back into the forest once again. I knew Daryl well enough not to argue anymore. Merle wasn't my only stubborn brother with an attitude problem…

…

A couple days later, Daryl and I were making our way back to camp after a hunt. Daryl dragged me out of bed at the crack of dawn to go out with him. I swear, since this whole walker shit started, Daryl hadn't let me out of his sight for more than an hour. I was lucky I got alone time to shower and shit. I appreciated his protectiveness, but it was fucking exhausting sometimes.

As soon as we got back into camp, we were both shocked to see Merle talking with the group. Daryl looked at me and raised his eyebrows. I shrugged and we walked up to the circle of people. "…could use another gun watchin' yer backs, huh?" Merle was all smiles, talking to the group.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked, looking at Merle.

Merle beamed at Daryl. I could tell he was high. "My lil' brother and sister are back!" Merle walked over and slung his arm around my shoulders. He stunk like he needed a shower and I resisted the urge to duck under his arm. "I was tellin' these fine folks what a great idea it would be to let Ol' Merle come to the city with them tomorrow!" My heart sunk. What a shit idea.

I laughed nervously. "What the hell do you need in the city, Merle?"

Merle squeezed my shoulder. "I got needs, baby sis'!" Merle said cryptically. I glanced at Daryl out of the corner of my eye. I was pretty sure Merle's needs included nothing but getting his next fix.

The cop shrugged and looked at Merle. "Alright, man, I guess if you need to go, go. But be sharp, you bring that gun and be prepared to use it." Merle laughed, slapping me on the back, as everyone started to disperse.

I made a split second decision. "I'll go too." I said, loudly.

Shane turned around to look at me and nodded. "Fine with me, but that's it," He said, looking at everyone, "This ain't a damn party." I just nodded and turned to walk back to our tent. I could feel Daryl's gaze burning holes through my head, but I didn't turn to look at him. Fuckin' coward I was.

The rest of the day I did everything I could to avoid Daryl, even going as far as doing laundry at the quarry with the rest of the women like a little bitch. I was wound up so tight I was ready to snap. I hated going against Daryl, but I felt like I had to. Who else was going to watch out for Merle in the city…not to mention all the people going with him. Merle was like a live wire, anyone who got close could get hurt and as much as I didn't want to admit it, I didn't want those people's lives on my conscience.

I was just pulling up my shorts after taking a piss when I heard a twig snap behind me. I whirled around, immediately expecting to see a walker, only to see Daryl. My heart was beating out of my chest. "What the fuck, you perv!" I shouted at him. "How long you been standin' there?"

"You've been avoidin' me all day, chicken shit." Daryl said, scowling at me.

I put my hand over my chest, still catching my breath. "Daryl, I have to go to Atlanta. If I don't, who knows –"

"These people ain't yer responsibility!" Daryl cut me off. "Merle can handle himself."

I threw up my hands. "I don't think he can! You know he's gotten bad with the drugs and shit. He's fuckin' unhinged. I don't want those people's blood on my hands when he goes ape shit and gets them all killed! I can take Merle's shit," I said, putting my hand on my chest, "Those people can't handle him." I said, gesturing wilding towards the camp.

"Lily, get yer head outta yer ass. You don't owe these people anythin'!" Daryl said, stepping up to me.

"Look, Daryl," I said, trying to reason with him, "It's not just about those people. It's about Merle. Our brother. I won't be able to live with myself if he gets himself or someone else killed cuz he's too fuckin' high to watch his own back. I have to go." I pleaded with him, trying to make him understand. "I'll be fine," I said, giving him a small smile.

Daryl kicked at the dirt and turned around, giving me his back. "To hell with it," he said over his shoulder, "I ain't stoppin' you, do whatever the fuck you want. I'm goin' huntin'. Just hope I don't have to say I told you so." Daryl stormed off into the woods, his crossbow on his back.

_Fuck_ I thought to myself. After this trip I didn't know what family I was going to have left…

TBC

**A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_Thanks, Mrs. Dean!" I said, pocketing the five dollar bill she handed me. I had been doing odd jobs at Mrs. Dean's house for the past month so I could save to buy a dress for the school dance. _

_Mrs. Dean smiled at me warmly, "Oh deary, you help me so much, it's no trouble," she put her hand on my shoulder, "now please tell me after all this time you have enough to buy that beautiful dress for yer little dance?" _

_I thought about it. I had at least twenty bucks in my old cigar tin in my room at home, if not a little more. And maybe Daryl would spot me the rest. "I think I might have it!" I said, excited. Mrs. Dean was our neighbor and she was always so sweet to me. She knew it was hard for me growing up surrounded by men, especially my father. She was kind of like the grandma I didn't have._

_As a thirteen year old girl, I wasn't like most of the girls in my class. I didn't have nice things, I never went to the mall, I never got invited to any of their birthday parties. More often than not, I was forced to wear the same two outfits to school, always covering up the bruises. But this dance would be different. I knew when I saw the pretty just above knee length blue dress at the thrift shop it would be just perfect. Even though I was an awkward thirteen year old, all small and skinny, for once I wanted to feel like I was one of those girls. A girl that fit in. I didn't tell anyone I felt this way, I'm sure my dad would beat it out of me and Merle would laugh himself silly. But I think Mrs. Dean just knew._

"_Now you come over on Friday and I'll braid yer hair special for the dance! That long blonde hair will look beautiful in braids." Mrs. Dean said, brushing my hair away from my face._

_I laughed nervously. Mrs. Dean didn't know my hair was so damn long because I couldn't afford to get it cut. I had Daryl trim the ends every now and then because he was the most patient with me, but to be honest he never did a good job. "Well Mrs. Dean, I better get goin'. Gotta get to the thrift store before my dress is gone!" _

"_Ok, sweetie. You best come over later and show me, cuz I wanna see how grown up you look!" Mrs. Dean said excitedly. _

_I hurried home, anxious to count my money and get to the store. When I opened the door, Merle was passed out on the couch, surrounded by bottles. No one else was home. I tiptoed to my room so I wouldn't wake him. As soon as I opened the door, I could tell something wasn't right. My dresser drawers were all opened and one was even pulled out onto the floor. My clothes were strewn about the room haphazardly. My heart sunk when I saw my money tin, opened and on the floor._

_I slowly walked over to it and sunk to my knees. All the money was gone. There were just a couple pennies left, on the floor next to the tin. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, but then I put the pieces together. Merle. Clearly he stole my hard-earned money to get his booze. I felt sick. I picked up the tin and stood up. I stared at my bedroom door and all of the sudden I saw red. I threw the tin onto the ground and stormed out of the room. _

"_Get up, Merle!" I shouted at him, shoving his shoulder. _

_Merle grumbled, but eventually sat up. "What the fuck do you want now?" He spat at me. _

_I pointed towards my room, "You took my money, don't even deny it, I fuckin' know it was you." _

_Merle grunted and put his hands over his eyes. "I ain't got time for yer whinin', go cry to Daryl, I don't wanna listen to it." He stood and shakily walked towards the kitchen._

"_I needed that money, Merle!" I shouted at him._

_Merle turned around again and I could see the anger building in his eyes. "What the hell did you need anyways, short stuff?"_

_I huffed. "I was gonna buy a dress for the dance. Everybody's goin'…" I trailed off, suddenly embarrassed that I told Merle. I could feel tears of frustration rolling down my cheeks. _

_Merle scoffed in disgust, "Quit yet cryin', dammit. Look at you blubberin' over a goddamn dress. Just stop." Believe me, I wanted to. But when someone tells you to stop crying, it's almost impossible to actually stop. The tears were coming on heavier now. Merle took a threatening step towards me. "I swear Lily if you don't stop that shit I'm gonna lose it."_

_I was a sniffling mess. "C-can't you just pay me b-back?" I mumbled, still trying to put away my tears. _

_Merle stormed towards me and I flinched away. I wasn't fast enough though. He grabbed my upper arm and started dragging me towards my room. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me, you little brat." He spat as he walked. I couldn't even get my footing he was walking so fast, just dragging me behind him, blubbering all the way._

_By the time Merle forcefully threw me into my room I was sobbing. "Stop it!" Merle said, getting in my face. I just couldn't get a hold of myself, it was like all of my hopes for this dance were gone. Plus, Merle was fucking terrifying when he was mad. I was scared. Suddenly, Merle lashed out and slapped me. I was shocked into silence and I grabbed my face, staring at him in shock. "That's it, Lily!" Merle screamed at me, "stop bein' a fuckin' baby. It's a stupid dance, not the end of the world." He glared at me and started walking out of the room. Before he slammed my door, he said, "Yer never gonna be like them other kids anyways, yer a Dixon, dirt just like the rest of us." _

_As soon as he left, I crawled into the corner of my room. I grabbed one of my ratty sweatshirts that was thrown on the floor and pressed it to my face so I could cry without Merle hearing me. After that, I stopped trying to fit in. _

"Hey, watch it." Glenn said, throwing his arm out to stop me. I looked down and saw a mangled body I was about to trip over. I glanced at him, embarrassed that I wasn't totally paying attention. We were combing through the aisles in a pharmacy, grabbing anything useful. I had a bag on my shoulders that was slowly filling up, weighing me down. But it felt great to get the stuff I needed. I managed to find some first aid materials that I always seemed to need and some other girl stuff that I kept to myself.

"You finished?" I heard Glenn shout from across the store. "We gotta meet the others."

"Yeah, ain't nothin' left worth takin' here." I said, walking to meet him at the back door. We had split off into smaller groups to hit different stores. We were all going to meet back at the huge department store around the corner. Glenn had found a secret entrance that was secluded enough that no walkers had managed to get in. According to Glenn, that store had always been a goldmine on his prior trips.

I pulled out my knife and tucked my gun into the waistband of my jeans so it would be easily accessible, then nodded at Glenn. He pushed the door open and off we went with Glenn leading the way. The guy was like the fucking rain man of mapping out routes. We barely encountered any walkers, weaving in and out of alleyways all the way to the department store. When we made it into the entranceway, I was panting, out of breath from running after Glenn with my bag. I threw my bag on the ground and put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. "Everybody here?" I heard Glenn ask.

"Everybody except Dixon." Morales said. I looked up and he added, "The other Dixon."

"Where did he go?" Glenn asked me, like I would know what the fuck Merle was up to.

I shrugged, "How the hell am I 'sposed to know? I was with you." Merle had insisted on going off on his own to do whatever he came to Atlanta to do. I suspected it had something to do with drugs, but I wasn't about to tell the group he was probably trying to get his next score.

The black guy T-Dog just scoffed. "Shut the damn door. Dixon knows he's supposed to be here." I glared at him, rolling my eyes. Glenn shut the door with a loud clang and threw the deadbolt. I stared at the door, my stomach in knots. Shit, Merle.

While I was distracted staring at the door, everyone else started showing off their loots. T-Dog and Jacque had found a stash of hunting knives and a few boxes of bullets in an army surplus store. Morales and Andrea were snickering at the six pack of beer and bottle of wine they had found. Clearly none of them were worried about my brother.

We all stopped dead when we heard the gunshots. "What the fuck!" I shouted, running towards the door, immediately thinking it was Merle. T-Dog threw his arm out, blocking my way.

"Don't open it! We don' know who the fuck that is, girl!" I shoved him away angrily.

"That's my fuckin' brother out there you asshole!" We all jumped at the sound of banging on the door.

"Let me in, jerkoffs!" Came Merle's muffled voice from outside. I quickly unlocked the door and threw it open. Merle slipped in and I slammed it shut, instantly breathing a small sigh of relief.

"What are you doing firing your gun like that?" Andrea practically shouted at Merle.

"That shit wasn't me, blondie! There's walkers swarmin' in front of the store, some idiot's gonna be lunch for these fuckers." He laughed breathlessly. "I'm goin' up to the roof to watch the show." Merle ran towards the stairs leading to the roof and I looked away from the rest of the group, embarrassed at Merle's callousness.

We all stared at each other, still listening to the gunshots, before Glenn broke the silence. "I'm goin' out there."

"That's crazy, whoever that is out there is as good as dead. No sense riskin' your life, honey." Jacque pled with Glenn.

Glenn shook his head, a determined look on his face. "Keep the radio ready, I'll signal when I'm close. Everyone just stay here." We all nodded and reluctantly watch Glenn go. I was ashamed to admit I felt nervous to see him venture out into the unknown. Not because I cared about him or anything… cuz I didn't.

…

We all sat, slumped in the little entranceway sweating our asses off, wondering if Glenn would ever come back. If he didn't, I wasn't sure how the hell we were gonna make it outta the city, especially with all those walkers fuckin roaming around. The gunshots had stopped, and now it was eerily silent. I jumped a mile when the radio blared to life.

"I'm back… got a guest, plus four geeks in the alley." Came the sound of Glenn's harried voice. Morales and T-Dog jumped into action, grabbing bats and shovels to take care of the walkers. I paced the room, practically vibrating with the tension of the situation. A couple seconds later, T-Dog, Morales and Glenn ran in the door with a new guy in tow. He was dressed in a police uniform, lookin' like he just came from hell and back.

Suddenly, Andrea got in his face, her gun pointed at his face. "You son of a bitch, I outta kill you!"

Morales stepped beside her, putting his arms up. "Just calm down, Andrea!" He pleaded with her.

Andrea scoffed, not backing down, and the policeman backed up. "We're dead because of this stupid asshole!" I rolled my eyes, dramatic much?

Morales threw his shovel to the ground in frustration. "Andrea, I said back the hell off!" When Andrea didn't moved he added, "or shoot," clearly calling her bluff when she finally put the gun down and backed up.

I could faintly hear the ragged moans of hundreds of walkers milling about outside, and I began to wonder how the hell we would ever get out of this fuckin' store. "We're dead. All of us… because of you." Andrea said, pathetically. That bitch needed to grow a pair.

The policeman had a glazed over look on his face. "I don't understand."

Morales pulled the cop down the narrow hallway and we all trailed behind. When we came to the front of the store, I heard the tail end of what he was saying, "…the key to scavenging is sneaking around."

We came up on the front of the store, and through the racks of clothes, I saw total mayhem going on outside. The walkers were pushing against the chained front doors, their weight putting stress on the glass.

T-Dog pointed at the mass of walkers. "Every geek for miles heard you poppin' off them rounds."

The others continued to bicker and I grew tired of the noise. I wandered a little further back into the store, searching through the racks of clothes for anything I thought I would need. As long as we were here, I would make the most of it. I wasn't dead yet. I spotted a few heavy looking sweatshirts that would be great for winter, and even scored some flannel shirts that looked like they would fit Daryl. I stuffed my finds in my bag and continued searching.

My head shot up at the sound of more gunshots, clearly coming from the roof. Merle was a fuckin' idiot.

Andrea spoke what we were all thinking. "Oh, god, was that Dixon?" We all rushed up several flights of stairs to get to the roof. Morales pushed the door open and we all burst through, squinting in the sunlight. I saw Merle, perched like a sniper on the corner of the roof, firing shots into the crowd of walkers below with his rifle.

"Hey, Dixon! Are you crazy?" Morales shouted.

Merle finally stopped shooting and turned towards us. "Hey, hey, hey! You outta be more polite to a man with a gun! Only common sense!" Merle said, laughing. I could tell by the way he was acting he had recently taken something. He was definitely high.

T-Dog rounded the corner, approaching Merle. "Man, you wastin' bullets we ain't even got! You gonna bring 'em all down here on our ass, just chill!" He said, wildly gesturing in frustration.

Merle snickered. "Hey, it's bad enough I got this taco bender on my ass all day," he said, pointing at Morales. "Now I'm gonna take orders from you? I don't think so bro, that'll be the day." I could tell he was getting fired up. I walked closer towards Merle, knowing I was going to have to say something.

T-Dog raised his eyebrows, catching Merle's drift. "That'll be the day? You got somethin' you wanna tell me?" I wished I could just tell everyone to stop, to just back off. I knew better than anyone how to deal with Merle when he got like this and this wasn't the way.

I finally spoke up, "Hey! Quit it!" I shouted. I could tell Glenn and the cop heard me, but T-Dog and Merle just kept going at each other.

Before I knew it, Merle decked T-Dog and the cop immediately stepped in, only to be viciously punched by Merle. He fell to the side, and I ran over to Merle. He was kicking T-Dog and I shoved him away, trying to put some distance between him and the others.

I got close to Merle, speaking quietly. "Dude, calm down! We need to get out of here –"

Merle cut me off, pushing me to the side, "Stay out of this, I gotta teach this boy a lesson."

"Merle!" I said, grabbing his arm. Suddenly he spinned back towards me and slapped me. The force of the hit rocked me to the side and I fell to the ground, throwing my hands out to catch my fall. I had never been slapped so hard by Merle. I was shocked. I struggled to get back to my feet, but then I felt Merle's boot connect with my stomach. The blow flipped me onto my back and I gasped in pain. I could feel the gravel biting into the backs of my shoulders. Merle wasn't done.

He was on me again, kicking at me. I curled up, trying to protect myself from the blows. "You never fuckin' do what I tell you to, you little brat!" He spat at me, still kicking at me. When he finally stopped, I looked up at him from the ground, gasping and I swear to god he looked just like our old man. I looked away, putting my face into the ground so I didn't have to look at him. "Just stay down, bitch!" Merle shouted at me, giving me one last kick for good measure. I screamed out at the pain.

I rolled over to watch Merle, coming to the realization that I couldn't control him like I thought I could. Andrea and Jacque were crowded around T-Dog, sobbing at Merle's acts of violence.

Merle strutted towards them. "Yeeahh! Alright! We're gonna have ourselves a little pow wow, huh! Talk about who's in charge! I vote me! Anybody else? Huh? Democracy time y'all! Show of hands… all in favor? Come on, let's see 'em!" I could hear the cop struggling to his feet behind me, but Merle didn't seem to notice.

When no one responded, Merle just said, "Yeah, that's good! That means I'm the boss, right? Anybody else? Hmm? Anybody?"

The cop was walking towards Merle now, rifle raised. "Yeah." He shouted, slamming the butt of the rifle into Merle's face. Merle fell to the ground, and as soon as I saw the cop had control, I sat up, crawling over to the side, clutching my stomach in pain.

"Who the hell are you, man?" Merle shouted at the cop as he brought him to the ground, handcuffing him to a pipe.

The cop emptied the gun he had taken from Merle and got in his face. "Officer friendly. Look here, Merle. Things are different now… there are no 'niggers'. No dumb ass shit inbred white trash fools either. Only dark meat and white meat. It's us… and the dead. We survive this by pulling together, not apart."

Merle belligerently replied, "Screw you, man…" After that, I tuned everyone out, looking away from the embarrassing scene. I could feel several pairs of eyes on me, but I ignored them.

I finally looked over when I heard the cop say what I was dreading. "You got some on yer nose there." He had a small tube of white powder in his hand and everyone looked disgusted as he threw it over the side of the building.

"Hey! What're you doin' man, that's my stuff! If I get loose, you better pray! You hear me? You hear me, you pig!" Merle was shouting, totally unhinged.

"Yeah, your voice carries…" I heard the cop say as he walked by me.

I stared at Merle across from me, realizing how fucked up this situation was. Merle seemed to feel my eyes on him because he turned to me and said, "Hey Lily Bird, how 'bout you get those keys for yer good 'ol brother Merle, huh?"

I could still feel my cheek burning from his slap, not to mention the intense pain radiating out from my stomach and sides. I stared Merle down, totally disgusted with him. "Hey, girly!" He shouted at me. "Listen here, you don't help me get out of here and you'll get a lot worse than a couple bruises, ya hear?"

As I stared at him, it was like the Merle I used to know was gone, replaced with a carbon copy of my dead father. I still remember my father yelling at me, _you fuckin' brat!_ as he whipped me with his belt. I stared at Merle, willing myself to feel something for him, but all I saw was my father, kicking me, hitting me, spewing hatred. Just like Merle.

I stared at Merle blankly. I could tell he was still screaming at me, but none of what he was saying was registering. I was still stuck in the memories of my father, when a pair of legs stepped into my view. I slowly looked up and the cop was standing there. He held out his hand. "You don't gotta listen to that." He said.

I just looked at him for a second before I tentatively reached out and took his hand, allowing him to pull me to my feet. I swayed a little bit, trying to get my balance back and he held onto my arm to steady me. "I'm Rick Grimes," he said, wiping the gravel off my back.

I looked back at him, trying to gauge his motives. He looked totally sincere, which seemed almost out of place to me. "Lily Dixon," I replied. Rick just nodded and pulled me along towards the door behind the rest of the group.

Before the door swung shut, I heard one more shout from Merle, "Yer worthless, girl, ya hear? Fuckin' worthless piece of shit!" I closed my eyes and listened to the clang of the steel door, shutting Merle's voice out. The silence was deafening.

…

I watched a trail of blood slowly make its way down my leg. My knee was scraped bloody. I don't remember feeling any pain, but it probably happened when Merle slapped me and I fell to the ground. Not only did he slap me, he _beat_ me. I felt numb.

"Honey?" I stared at the wall in front of me, lost in thought. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Rick, T-Dog and Morales chopping up a walker body, part of some plan they had to get us out of here. I had no idea what that plan was. I couldn't seem to focus on anything but what had just happened with Merle. I followed the group around obediently, but it was like I was a robot, on autopilot. "Honey!"

I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of Jacque's voice. When I focused my eyes, I saw she was standing right in front of me, concerned expression on her face. "You alright? You look pale, sweetie."

"I'm fine." I muttered, not meeting her eyes. I couldn't let her know that I wasn't fine at all, my body ached from the beating and Merle's words made me want to cry. I couldn't break down though. I had to get through this.

I sighed when she kept talking. What I really needed was for her to get the fuck away from me. "You forget about that brother of yours, sweetheart. Focus on you now, he had his chance." After saying that, Jacque walked away to watch the massacre of the walker body, leaving me to my thoughts.

…

They were gonna die. Glenn and the new guy Rick were going to get massacred by those freaks down there and we were all gonna be screwed. I just knew it. As we watched them make their way through the streets, it was so damn hard to be positive. Especially with Merle still chained to the pipe behind me.

"Come on over here, Lily Bird. Come talk to yer brother." I tried to block out the grating sound of Merle's voice, trying to focus on watching Glenn and Rick make their way down the walker infested street. They were getting closer to their destination; a yard with some trucks. Merle had been relentlessly hounding me since we had come back up to the roof, and he was hard to ignore. So was the stinging sensation on my cheek from where he'd slapped me.

"They gettin' close." T-Dog commented, anxiously staring through the binoculars. "We got that radio ready?"

"It's ready." Andrea tensely replied, checking the volume on the tattered old radio for the thousandth time. Glenn was going to radio to us when they had the truck and were coming our way. All part of the brilliant plan.

"Please, Lily. Come 'ere, girl." I turned to Merle and couldn't help the pulling feeling in my chest, urging me to go over to him. The look on his face was so sincere. I couldn't ignore my brother anymore, no matter how mad I was at him. I walked over to him slowly, feeling cautious and knowing the rest of the group was staring at me.

"What?" I tiredly said, staring down at him.

Merle smiled at me. "Aw come on now, girly. You know I didn' mean it."

"I've heard that fuckin' story before. I'm done with this, Merle." I stared at the rusted pipe beside him instead of meting his eyes.

"Yer done with yer brother? Come on now, Lil. I'll shape up, you know that." I had heard all these things from Merle before, but every time I seemed to believe a little bit that he was telling the truth.

"You always say that! Why the fuck should I believe it this time?" I asked, really looking at him now.

Merle put his arms up. "I got no choice, right?" Before I could interrupt, he cut me off. "Listen, Lil. I know I ain't always been there for you and Daryl, but you can bet yer ass I'm gonna change. Let's shake on it." He held his hand out and I stared at it. As much as I hated to admit it, Merle was putting a good case out there once again. It was so hard not to believe him. I stuck my hand out and he shook it, pulling me down to sit next to him. I tried not to grimace at the pain I was feeling in my stomach and sides.

"I just wanna get out of here." I muttered.

"Well, let's go then, all you gotta do is get the key." He shook the handcuff on his wrist and I stared at it, putting the pieces together. He wasn't trying to make nice with me, he just wanted the fucking key.

"Merle, I don't have the key, I have no idea – " He cut me off before I could finish.

"Well you better fuckin' find it, girl!" Everyone looked over at his abrupt change in demeanor.

I stood up, knowing I needed to get away from him, and quick. "I can't, I don't even know – "

Merle kicked out at me in frustration. "Lily you better go get that key right now or I'll kick yer teeth in when we get outta here! You hear me? You hear me?" He roared, completely unhinged.

"Listen to yerself! Yer a fucking mess! As far as I'm concerned you can rot on this fuckin' roof. All this shit you put me through! I'm done!" I screamed at him, finally letting it out.

"Yer done?" Merle shouted right back. "Yer never gonna be done with me, girl! I raised you, and yer never gonna forget that, you little bitch!"

I shook my head, disgusted. "Yer right, I'll never forget, but I wish I could. You made my life hell and I'm finished." I walked away after that, blocking out his screams of anger, him swearing at me and telling me he was gonna kill me.

"Be at the loading dock in 3 minutes!" Came the voice of Glenn through the radio. We all sprang into action after that, running for the staircase so we could get to the loading dock.

"What about Merle?" I heard Andrea's voice. I ignored it, only focused on myself for the first time in my life. I was gonna live, I didn't give a fuck about Merle.

…

I leaned my head back against the wall of the truck, trying to ignore that every bump jarred my bruised sides and stomach. I was also trying to ignore the fact that Merle wasn't with us. _I don't care, I don't care, I don't care._ I repeated to myself, over and over and over. My brother never gave a shit about me, why the fuck did I spend all my life trying to get him to love me? Merle was a thorn in my side, a constant reminder of my father, my horrible childhood. My eyes were tearing and I willed them to disappear.

As we got closer to camp, closer to Daryl, who had no idea what had happened, my resolve to hate Merle slowly faded. I was crumbling and I knew the minute I saw Daryl and he knew what had happened, he would hate me forever. There was no going back after this. I had just walked away from my brother. What kind of fucking person was I? I could picture the look on Daryl's face when he found out what had happened and it made me want to punch myself in the face, beat the shit out of me. I deserved it. The truck jolted to a stop and my head shot up. "We made it." Jacque laughed. Everyone rejoiced in the moment except for me.

I lagged behind the rest of the group. I barely even noticed Rick running up to Lori and Carl, reuniting with his family. Good for him. I vaguely registered that the chances of what had just happened were so slim. Rick was reuniting with his family, and I had just left one of my family behind. I ignored the voices of the group, urging me to talk to them, let them help me clean up.

I didn't need their help, I just needed to get to my tent. "Where's Merle?" Shane asked, looking at me.

I turned back, one hand on our tent. "Got left behind." I muttered, disappearing into my tent and closing myself in, away from all these fucking people.

TBC

…

**A/N: Is everybody liking this so far? Are the flashbacks good or bad? I'd love to hear what you're thinking!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_I gasped, feeling the sting of my father's belt smacking against my back. I had run out of tears a long time ago, resorting to curling into a ball and taking the beating. "You'll never learn, girl!" He shouted as he continued to rain down blow after blow. The skin on my back felt wet and I knew I was starting to bleed. _

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I muttered over and over again, willing him to stop. Eventually he got tired, delivering one last blow before throwing the belt on the floor and walking towards the front door._

"_I need a fuckin' drink…" He muttered as he slammed the door shut. _

_The silence in the house was deafening after he was gone, the only sound was my loud sniffling. I lay on the floor, trying to find the energy to stand up. I just couldn't understand why he hated me so much. I had accidentally slammed the door when I left the house for school that morning, and when I got home he was waiting for me with the belt, saying I ruined his day by slamming the fucking door. _

_Eventually I dragged myself to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I carefully peeled my shirt off and threw it into the bathtub. It was red with splotches of blood, clearly ruined. I grabbed a clean washcloth and wet it in the sink. I was doing the best I could to carefully clean out the lashes on my back, using the mirror to try to see what I was doing, when I heard the door open. I stiffened, and stopped what I was doing so I could listen. I relaxed when I realized the footsteps definitely didn't belong to my father. _

_I continued to attempt to clean myself up when suddenly someone knocked loudly on the door. "That you in there, Daryl? Need to take a piss." Merle said._

_Fuck. "It's me, Merle. Go away." I shouted through the door. _

_I didn't hear him walk away and I could tell he was still standing at the door. "I said I gotta take a piss, Lily Bird. You get out of there or I'm gonna come in, ready or not."_

"_Ugh, Merle!" I shouted at the door._

"_Get decent, cuz here I come," he said before the door swung open. I was wearing a sports bra, but of course as soon as the door opened I turned my back to Merle in an attempt to hide myself._

"_Merle!" I shouted over my shoulder. "What if I was naked or somethin'?"_

_Merle laughed. "Well you weren't were ya? So we're good." Merle paused and I could tell he was looking at my shredded back. "Yer makin' a bloody mess of that by the way," He said, pointing at my back. "You pissed the old man off pretty good, huh?"_

_I just nodded. "I can't reach it, and it's so fuckin' hard to see what I'm doin," I said, pathetically._

"_Gimme that," Merle said as he grabbed the washcloth from me. He pushed me down to sit on the toilet seat and began to clean off the lashes. I grimaced. He wasn't being gentle at all._

"_Ease up a bit, would ya?" I said, over my shoulder. I wasn't a wimp or anything but my god the pain of Merle cleaning the cuts was almost as bad as when I got them._

_Merle just laughed. "Is that what yer gonna tell the old man next time he comes down on you with the belt?" I just closed my eyes and put my head down, steeling myself against the pain. "Yeah, that's what I thought." He added, responding to my silence. What was I supposed to say? He was right._

"_No one's gonna coddle you in this world, Lily Bird, 'specially not me," Merle said as he held me down to disinfect all the cuts with alcohol. "Yer a Dixon, ya hear? Gotta toughen up a bit, understand?"_

"_I got it, Merle." I said, through gritted teeth. _

"_Good. I'm only sayin' it cuz I love ya, girly." He said, throwing the washcloth into the tub with my dirty shirt. "Now get off the fuckin' toilet and let me take a piss." I smiled for the first time that day as I stood up off the toilet._

…

I woke up with tears in my eyes. I felt totally disoriented for a couple minutes before I remembered what happened the day before. I must have cried myself to sleep because it was definitely night time now. I had clearly slept for hours. I turned on the small lantern next to my cot and looked over at Daryl's cot. It was empty. I was alone. I huffed and sat up. My ribs screamed at me in protest as I pulled myself into a standing position.

I realized I was drenched in sweat and I felt absolutely disgusting. This heat was fucking relentless. I peeled my dirt and blood splattered tank top off and threw it in the corner of the tent. I had several defined darkening bruises covering my ribs on both sides, courtesy of Merle's beat down. "Son of a bitch," I muttered to myself. I plopped back down onto my cot. I looked down at my feet and I realized I still had my shoes on. I shucked them off and threw them on top of my dirty tank top.

I just sat there for a couple minutes, reliving the past couple days in my head. Then I realized it. While I was sitting here in the comfort of this goddamn tent, Daryl and Merle could have been dead. _Holy shit_. I started to panic. Merle was as good as dead chained to that roof and how the hell was I supposed to know if Daryl was even alive? _What have I done?_ I pushed us all apart. I caused all this!

My head was pounding and my breaths were coming in short stabs. I realized I was having a panic attack. I couldn't calm myself down. I pictured Merle with his throat ripped out, lifelessly bleeding to death on that fucking roof. Daryl alone, in the middle of the woods, dozens of walkers feasting on his body. I leaned over and dry heaved. There was nothing in my system to puke out. I put my hand over my mouth and closed my eyes. I felt tears streaming down my face. _Daryl is fine. Daryl is fine. Daryl is fine_. I repeated to myself over and over again until I felt like I was in control.

I turned off the lantern and lay back down. I didn't even bother putting on a new shirt, I just pulled my knees to my chest and rocked myself back and forth. I silently cried until I finally fell back asleep.

…

"…GET UP!" I woke to a loud voice. I shot up in my bed and looked around, disoriented. Daryl was standing at the entrance to the tent and I barely had a second to feel relieved that he was alive before he was storming towards me. I flinched back on my cot and pulled the blanket over myself. Why the fuck didn't I put a shirt on last night?

Daryl stood next to the cot, totally fuming. I didn't know what to say. "Daryl..." was all I stuttered out, before he roughly grabbed my upper arm and pulled me to my feet. I gasped in shock.

He glared down at me, "What the fuck happened on that fucking roof?"

I tried to twist my arm out of his grasp but he only held tighter. "Let go, asshole!" I shouted at him.

At the sound of our struggle, the two cops burst into our tent. "Let her go, Dixon!" Shane shouted at Daryl.

Daryl was livid. "What? You worried I'm gonna hurt her? You can just stay the fuck out of this, pig! You two assholes did enough!"

I didn't need Rick and Shane to protect me. "Just get out!" I shouted, "I'm fine!" Rick just put his hands up and grabbed Shane's arm. They backed out of the tent, but I had a feeling they would wait close by.

As soon as they were gone Daryl rounded on me again, "You fuckin' left our brother chained to a roof?"

I shoved Daryl away from me and he finally let go of my arm. I couldn't think with him all over me like that. I crossed my arms over my chest, self-conscious that I was fuckin' shirtless still. "Look, Daryl, it's not like I had the key!" I threw my arms up, "We were in the fuckin' van before I even –"

Daryl suddenly pointed at me. "What the fuck happened to you?" I quickly put my arms back over my stomach, but it was too late. Daryl moved closer to me again and I slowly moved my arms back down to my sides. I looked down at my feet. "Who did this to you?" Daryl asked, lifting my chin up and brushing his thumb over the bruise I knew Merle left on my cheek.

I turned away from him, hunting for my tank top in the corner of the tent. As soon as I found it I pulled it over my head, trying not to wince at the pain of lifting my arms above my head. "Daryl," I started, turning back towards him, "it was kind of my fault –"

"Just stop, Lily. Either you tell me or I'm gonna get it out of that fuckin' cop." I could see his anger boiling to the surface.

"It was Merle, Daryl. That's why Rick chained him to the roof." I said, as quietly as I could.

Daryl just looked at me. He turned around and ran his hand through his hair, then sat down on his cot. "What happened?" He asked, almost sounding like he didn't want to know. But I knew I had to tell him.

I sat down. "Merle just fuckin' lost it, worse than ever before. He was pickin' off walkers from the roof, makin' a ruckus like a fuckin' idiot. We all went up there and he got into it with T-Dog. Merle was high and he just rubbed him the wrong way. Merle started beatin' on him," Daryl scoffed and I paused.

"Guy probably deserved what he got," Daryl said, shrugging.

I shook my head. "You weren't there to see the look in his eyes, Daryl. Merle was gonna kill him. That guy Rick tried to pull him off, but Merle hit him too. You know how he gets when he's high, like a fuckin' freight train, ain't no stoppin' him." Daryl nodded in agreement. "I stepped in and tried to talk some sense into him. He wouldn't listen, then he just slapped me. I fell cuz I wasn't expectin' it. I don't think he's ever hit me that hard. Then he started kickin' me while I was down."

Daryl looked disgusted. "And all those other fuckers just watched?"

"He had the gun," I said, exasperated. "Bottom line, he beat me pretty good. He was threatenin' everyone, but then Rick took him down from behind, chained him to the pipe. You know the rest." Daryl stood up and started pacing the tent.

"Fuck!" He shouted, suddenly. "I shouldn't have fuckin' let you go. I knew this was gonna be a shit show."

I stood up, "I don't need you to fuckin'_ let_ me do anything, Daryl. I made my own decisions. Merle made his bed, now he's gotta lay in it."

"So what?" Daryl shouted at me, getting in my face again, "You wanna let him rot on that fuckin' roof cuz he gave you a few scratches? Thought you were tougher than that."

I could feel my face turning red, the anger boiling under my skin. "You don't think he woulda done the same to me? Or you?" I gestured at him wildly, "and you know I can fuckin' take a punch, you asshole. We've got the same damn scars, big brother!" I shoved my finger into his chest.

"To hell with ya!" Daryl shouted, ripping open the tent to leave.

I grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards me. "That's it? To hell with me? Where the fuck are you going?"

Daryl shrugged my hand off, "I'm gonna go get him. One of us has to care about Merle, cuz you sure as hell don't!"

I threw my hands up in frustration. "Don't act like I don't care! I'm the one that went to Atlanta to protect him! You said he would be fine, but look where it got me!" I gestured to my face.

Daryl shook his head. "You know he was high. I'll bring him back here, we'll get him sober again, and it'll be fine. You'll see." I could hear the desperation in his voice.

I wanted to let Merle go so bad, but as much as I hated to admit it, I wanted Daryl to be right. "Look, Daryl," I started, taking a deep, calming breath. "We'll both go, bring him back together. Maybe this time you'll be right."

"No. You know what Lily?" Daryl asked as he turned his back on me. "Just stay here, you've done enough." I stepped back, stunned and hurt by his words. How was this my fault?

I stared at the entrance to the tent, even after he was gone. For some reason, the sting of Daryl's words hurt more than the bruises Merle left behind.

…

After Daryl left, I paced around the tent. After a while, I realized it was pointless to sit in the tent like a fucking crybaby. I still had dried blood caked on various parts of my body so I decided cleaning myself up was a good place to start. As soon as I walked out of the tent to get a pot of water, I wished I could just turn around and go right back in.

The whole fucking camp was staring at me, probably looking for new bruises, no doubt thinking Daryl got physical with me. I just kept my head up and didn't make eye contact with anyone and eventually they went back to whatever they were doing. I got the biggest pot I could find and made my way down to the lake to fill it.

I kicked every rock in front of me on my way to the lake, venting out my frustration. As soon as I got to my destination, I just stood and stared straight in front of me. I closed my eyes and just listened to the sounds of the water, birds in the sky, the wind blowing, and my own breathing. After a couple seconds, I felt marginally better, at least ready to face the rest of this day. I filled my bucket, and I was on my way.

On my walk back, struggling to carry the full pot of water, I regretted the whole decision. I could barely handle the pot, walking over the rough terrain, up the fucking hill. My ribs were screaming in protest, and I was sure I was hurting myself even more, but godammit I was gonna make it back to my tent. I was still pretty far from camp when I tripped over a particularly large rock. I stumbled and dropped the whole pot. I jumped out of the way, but the water still managed to soak the front of my shirt and shorts. "Fuck!" I screamed.

I was fuming, bending over to grab the pot when my ribs gave a particularly painful throb. I immediately doubled over, kneeling on the ground. "You alright there?" I heard someone ask from behind.

I sat up and Shane was standing in front of me. "I'm fine." I mumbled.

He just held out his hand, "You need someone to look at those injuries?" I grudgingly took his hand to get to my feet, trying not to wince.

"I can manage myself." I said, staring blankly at him.

Shane chuckled, looking to the side, "Ya know, it's ok to let someone help you every now and then."

I shrugged. "Yah, whatever."

I started to walk away, but Shane added, "Hey, that shit that went down with your brother ain't yer fault."

I turned around again, starting to get frustrated. "What the hell do you know about it?"

"I know a lot about it. I've dealt with a lot of guys like Merle. Rough, abusive, just fuckin' drunks," I narrowed my eyes at him, but he just kept going. "Look at that psycho Ed down there, the way he watches Carol and his kid, you know somethin' ain't right there."

"You know that's none of our damn business. Besides, where do you come off talkin' about my brother like that, huh?" I said, raising my voice.

Shane shrugged, "You tryin' to say I'm not right about yer brother? I saw those damn bruises on yer stomach."

I self-consciously crossed my arms over my chest. "He didn't mean it…" I trailed off. What was I doing? I didn't need to explain anything to this asshole. "What happens between me and my family is my business. Doesn't concern you." I spat at Shane.

Shane scoffed, "Bet that's what people said about yer old man, huh? It was none of their damn business? Hell, I bet you just told yerself, 'he doesn't mean it,' huh? Didn't you?"

I stepped back, shocked by his words. "What the fuck?" I shouted at him, angrily throwing the pot at his feet. I walked away, not even bothering to look back at him. What a fucking asshole! Thinks he fucking knows me and my family. Where does he come off saying shit like that?

Even as I raged at Shane in my head, a small voice in the back of my mind said,_ he's right_.

…

I was sitting outside our tent, furiously scrubbing at my dirty tank top. I wasn't about to toss out one of the three shirts I had. I was wearing one of Daryl's cleaner flannel shirts, the sleeves rolled up to my elbows. I probably looked ridiculous, but I didn't care what any of these people thought of me.

After my spat with Shane, I filled a considerably smaller, manageable bucket up with rain water and moved on to my next task of laundry. I was close to giving up on my shirt. The blood stains had dulled to a dirty rust color. I suppose that was good enough for me. I was ringing out the shirt as best as I could when a pair of boots walked into my line of sight. I knew it was Shane. Again. "What do you want?" I practically spat at him, not even bothering to look up.

"Thought you might want this. I boiled it off for ya." I finally looked up and Shane was holding the big pot I threw at him.

I glared at him. "Thanks," I said, jerking my chin at the ground at my feet. Shane smirked and set the pot down next to me. He had such a cocky way about him, drove me up the fucking wall.

"Look, Lily," Shane started, kneeling next to me. "I'm sorry about earlier. I wasn't in the best mood and I guess I was out of line."

I stood up and walked into the tent to get a clean rag. I plopped back down on my chair and Shane was still there. "Yeah," I said, "You were out of line." I dipped the rag into the water and it was still warm. I grinned at the feeling.

Shane stood up. "Well I'll leave ya to it. Andrea and Amy caught some fish. We're gonna fry it up later, if you want some dinner."

I paused what I was doing. "Oh. Maybe." Shane just nodded and started to walk away. "Wait, Shane?" He stopped and turned back. "Um, thanks?" I said it like a question, but honestly it was the best I could do. I wasn't gonna get all sentimental over a bucket of water and some fish.

He laughed as he turned to walk away, but I heard him call over his shoulder, "Sure thing, Dixon."

I shook my head as he walked away. I sure knew how to make a fool of myself, that's for sure. But I had to admit, my mood was perking up. Even though it burned something fierce, the warm water felt heavenly, cleaning up my scraped knee. I washed all the blood off my legs and arms and by the time I was done I felt like I could finally breathe easy for the first time in days.

As I sat there, just watching the goings on of the camp, I felt like I could have a little hope for the future. Daryl would bring back Merle and maybe, just maybe, he would get his act together. We could set off on our own again, maybe find somewhere to hunker down for a little while…

Or maybe Merle and Daryl would just leave me here…the bad thoughts slowly crept into my head. Who was I kidding? It's not like we would set off into a fucking sunset. As Daryl said, I had "done enough" to screw up their lives. That's for sure. They would probably be better off cutting their losses. That was me.

I huffed and stood up. I didn't need to sit here and cry like a little baby. Besides, Daryl wouldn't just leave me. He just wouldn't. I repeated that to myself over and over again until I felt like I believed it.

…

A couple hours later, I found myself squished between Andrea and the old man. I wasn't particularly enjoying the closeness, but I wasn't complaining. For the first time in weeks, my belly was full and I had a beer in my hand. I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, just staring into the fire, lost in my own thoughts. I was trying to keep my mind off the fact that Daryl and the rest of the group hadn't returned yet…

"…Lily?" I looked up, not sure who was talking to me.

"Huh?" I said, stupidly.

"What did you do before this?" Jacqui asked. I could tell it wasn't the first time, I must have been totally spaced out.

"Oh…" I started, "I worked at a bar, ya know, waitress, bartender, whatever I had to do."

A bunch of people just nodded. I bet they were thinking _figures_…ugh I had to stop being so fucking negative. "What about your brothers?" Andrea asked.

I hesitated, not sure how much I wanted these people to know about me and my family. "Daryl worked construction, managed a crew. Merle did odd jobs, I guess. Never held anything." There was that look again_. Figures_.

"That's nice," Lori said. When the group could tell I wasn't gonna share anything else, they went back to talking and I went back to staring at the fire. Occasionally I would stare at the trees behind us, willing Daryl to pop out with Merle right behind him. Surprise! Yeah right, like that would happen…

I heard some laughter and snapped out of my thoughts, staring at the group. Amy was standing up, rolling her eyes at Andrea. "Geez, can't anyone have a little privacy around here?" She laughed while making her way to the RV. I had no idea where she was going but it's not like I cared anyways.

It seemed like a couple seconds went by, when I heard the screaming. I whirled around and saw Amy, a walker latched onto her arm. She was letting out a blood curdling scream as it tore at her arm hungrily. The whole group sprang into action after that, all of us going separate ways. Walkers were coming out of the shadows and surrounding the camp. I grabbed my knife off the ground next to me, thankful that I had thought to bring it with me. I stared around, looking for a gap so I could run to safety. It was chaos around me, I could hear gunshots coming from every direction and screaming kids.

Suddenly, I could hear the moaning of a walker coming from behind. I whirled around, slamming my knife into its skull. The walker fell to the ground, taking me with him, while I tried to pull the knife out. I was finally able to yank the knife out and that's when I ran for it. I saw an opening that was walker free and sprinted for the trees, hoping to get as far away from the carnage as possible. I held the bloody knife in front of me as I ran, ready to attack again.

When the noise of the massacre grew quieter, I slowed down. It was pitch black and I could barely see in front of me. I spotted a tree a few yards away from me and quickly scrambled up the branches, trying to get as high as possible. Once I felt I was high enough, I hugged the branch I was on for dear life and listened. Over the sound of my own ragged breathing, I could hear some leaves crunching, no doubt more walkers making their way to the feast. I stayed as silent as possible as they made their way under my tree, and after a few minutes they were gone.

After about fifteen minutes, everything had quieted down, no more gunshots or screaming. I wondered who had even survived, if anyone. That's when I heard him. "Lily! Lily!" Daryl was shouting for me. I scrambled down the branches as fast as I could, trying to remember where the branches were because I couldn't see what I was doing.

"I'm here!" I shouted, just as I missed a branch. I fell the final four feet or so, straight to the ground, but I was up and running before I felt any pain. All I could hear were my feet crunching the leaves of the forest as I sprinted.

Suddenly, I slammed into somebody. Or something. I couldn't tell if it was human or walker and I threw my knife out, only to have it smacked out of my hand. "It's me, you idiot!" I heard Daryl grunt into my ear. I was on top of him.

I let my body go lax on top of him. "Oh, god." I muttered, pressing my face into his shirt. He didn't respond, just hauled me to my feet.

"You bit?" Daryl asked, brushing leaves off my back.

When I didn't respond right away, Daryl grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "Stop!" I snapped. "I'm fine!"

"Jesus, I thought you were dead. I was about to start checkin' the bodies." Daryl said, still holding onto my shoulders. We looked at each other for a minute and I could see it in his eyes. Merle was gone. "Let's go back." Daryl said, breaking my gaze. I just nodded and let him pull me along, back to the camp.

We paused next to the dying fire, just staring at the wreckage. I could hear sobbing coming from all directions. I saw the crumpled body of Amy lying next to the RV, Andrea sobbing over her sister's dead body. I shivered and Daryl put his arm around my shoulders. I shuffled closer to his side, grateful to be alive.

TBC

**A/N: Thanks everyone for all the thoughtful comments, I'm glad everyone is enjoying reading the story so far, it's been a lot of fun to write. Please keep leaving your comments, it keeps me going! **

**P.S. is anyone as excited for the return of The Walking Dead as I am? We're only a week away! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Daryl and I stood just staring at the bodies for a few minutes before he finally turned to me. "Yer bleedin'."

I stared up at him, confused. "Huh?" Daryl rolled his eyes, exasperated. He grabbed my arm, turning it so I could see. I had a huge gash on my elbow that looked like it was still bleeding. I didn't even remember how I got it.

"Look at yer knees, too. Yer a mess, Lil; let's go to the tent and clean them cuts." I nodded and followed him, trying not to stare at all the bodies lying on the ground. He led me to our tent and I sat down on my cot and stared at him while he searched through his bag, probably looking for medical supplies.

"Look in the bag I brought back from Atlanta, I got some stuff." I muttered, putting my head in my hands. The adrenaline from the attack was wearing off and I was fuckin' tired. A couple seconds later Daryl stood in front of me with some alcohol, gauze pads and band aids.

"Gimme yer arm." He grunted. I put my arm out and he began cleaning the scrape. He moved on to my knees next. "You gotta start wearin' long pants, Lil. I'm so damn sick of seein' yer legs all cut up."

I scoffed, "Gee, thanks Daryl. How 'bout you let me know when you find some in my size." He just looked at me. "Sorry," I said, looking down, "You're right. I do gotta find some though…"

We sat in silence for a few minutes while Daryl patched me up. "So… Merle?" I asked while he worked, finally breaking the silence. I had to know.

Daryl shook his head. "We didn't find him. Ain't talkin' about it no more tonight." He stood up and threw the supplies down by my bag, not meeting my eyes.

"Look, Daryl –" I began, but he cut me off.

"I told ya not tonight!" He snapped, lifting his crossbow off his shoulder and throwing it on his cot. He took a deep breath and sat down. "I don't wanna fight with ya anymore about this shit. What's done is done."

Neither of us spoke after that. I lay down on my cot, turning my back on Daryl. Eventually I heard the sound of the tent being unzipped, and then he was gone, leaving me to my thoughts.

…

_I was sitting in my room drawing on some newspaper with a couple crayons when I heard the knock on our door. Nobody ever came to our house, so I was instantly curious who would be wanting to talk to us. I stopped coloring and listened intently. I heard Daddy's footsteps walking towards the front door, and then the sound of it creaking open. "Yeah?" _

"_Mr. Dixon, I'm Officer Watson, I have some bad news about your son." I immediately shot up and ran to my door, opening it a crack so I could see the front door. There was a squad car sitting in our driveway and the Officer was standing on our porch. _

_Daddy scoffed. "Which one?"_

"_Merle, sir. I'm afraid we're gonna have to take him to juvenile detention. He was caught trying to rob the gas station and quite frankly sir, that was his last strike." The cop shifted his weight nervously, trying to gauge my father's reaction. _

"_That boy'll never learn. Go 'head, take him away." My dad grunted. Take him away where? I wasn't understanding what was happening. I opened my door and walked towards the front of the house, hoping someone could explain it to me. Merle was my brother, why was he being taken away?_

_I came up to the door, standing behind daddy's legs. "Daddy?" I whispered, tugging on his pants. _

_He ignored me and the cop kept talking. "Now, he'll have a court date in a few weeks, Mr. Dixon so I suggest you hire a lawyer –" _

"_We ain't got no money fer no lawyer," Daddy cut the cop off. "Boy's gonna have to learn the hard way." _

_The cop nodded. "Alright, Sir. You wanna say somethin' to him before we take him away?" I moved toward the door but Daddy pushed me back. _

"_We ain't got nothin' to say to him. Just take him away." He grunted and slammed the door in the cops face. _

"_Where's Merle goin'?" I asked, looking up at daddy. I still had my crayons in my hand and I clutched them tight. _

_Daddy rolled his eyes at me, heading to the kitchen. "You deaf, girl? They takin' him away. Probably won' see yer brother fer a long time."_

_I stared at daddy in shock, feelin' the tears coming on. "Why are they takin' him away?" _

_Daddy grabbed his whiskey and took a few drinks. "Cuz he's fuckin' worthless, jus' like you and yer good fer nothin' brother, girl. Now get outta my sight." _

_I ran towards the door and stared at the cop car backing out of our driveway. I could see Merle's head peeking out the top. "Wait!" I shouted, throwing open the door. _

"_Get back here or you gonna get it, girl!" I heard daddy shouting, but I ignored him. The car was halfway down the driveway, and I chased behind it._

"_Merle!" I shouted, over and over again. Eventually the car got too far away and I stopped running, watching it disappear behind the trees. I was sobbing as I walked back to the front of our driveway. I sat down by our mailbox and hugged my knees to my chest. I wished the car would come and bring my brother back, but it never did. I don't know how long I sat there, still clutching my stupid crayons, before I saw Daryl walking up the street. _

"_Lily?" He said, squinting at me as he came closer. "What you doin' out here?" I shrugged and rubbed some tears off my face. Daryl came and sat next to me, staring at me. "Look at yer feet, girl! Where yer shoes at?" He asked. He grabbed my feet and gently began rubbing the gravel off them. _

"_They took Merle away." I muttered. "The police were here, and they took him away. Daddy said he's gonna be gone fer a long time."_

"_The cops took him?" Daryl asked, staring down the street. I nodded, sniffling. "So I guess that means Merle's gonna be gone for a while. We'll be fine, don't you worry."_

"_He'll be back?" I asked, staring up at him. _

_Daryl nodded, ruffling my hair. "Course he will, he'd never leave us. Just gonna be the two of us fer a while, but we're gonna be just fine, you'll see." I nodded and Daryl stood up. He grabbed me under the armpits and lifted me. "No more leavin' the house with no shoes, ya hear? Don't want you to cut up yer feet, girly." I nodded and wrapped my legs around him as we walked towards the house, just the two of us._

...

I didn't sleep at all the rest of the night and Daryl never came back to the tent. Every time I started nodding off, I would snap back to awareness at the smallest noises. By the time the sun came up, I was beyond exhausted. Deciding sleep would never come, I dragged myself out of our tent and surveyed the damage.

There were bodies everywhere. Everywhere I looked, I saw them, both walkers and people from our camp. I spotted Daryl near the far side of camp, dragging the bodies and gathering them into a pile. As I made my way over to him, I tried to ignore the fact that Andrea was still leaning over her sister's dead body. She looked like she was in some kind of trance or something. Didn't she know her sister was gonna turn into a walker and fuckin' attack her? _Not my problem_, I told myself as I passed her.

"Hey." I said to Daryl as I came up behind him. He dropped the body he was dragging and turned around to stare at me.

"You look like shit." He commented, rubbing his dirty hands on his jeans.

I rolled my eyes. "You too, asshole." Daryl looked just as tired as I was; he had bags under his eyes and I could tell he was exhausted. I watched him work for a little while before I spoke again. "What's the plan?"

Daryl shrugged. "Jus' cleanin' up the bodies right now." He nodded towards the group of people who were huddled by the fire. "They wanna have a funeral or some shit."

"Andrea's sister's gonna turn soon." I said, pointing towards the RV.

Daryl stood up and scowled in their direction. "Officer Friendly don't wanna do the deed, say's we should give her space. I think it's bullshit, we gotta put a bullet in that girl 'fore she turns and kills someone else."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's dangerous. Not our problem though."

"Don't go near her, you got me?" Daryl said, staring at me.

"Yeah I got you," I said, nodding, "Need help?" Daryl shook his head.

"Naw, I got this. You should start packin' up the tent. We're gonna be gettin' outta here soon." I raised my eyebrows.

"Where we goin'?" I asked.

Daryl shrugged again. "Not sure yet, but we can't stay here. It ain't safe no more. The cop's talkin' bout goin' to that CDC place."

"CDC? That's a crock of shit, I bet that place is overrun with walkers." I scoffed. When all this shit started going down, all the talk was about the CDC and how they were finding some sort of cure. Bullshit in my opinion.

"We don't have to go with them." Daryl muttered, picking at his fingernails. I knew he was thinking about Merle.

So was I, but I was also thinking about myself. "Just me and you might be kinda dangerous though, without Merle…" I trailed off, thinking about how hard it would be to get by without the group. As much as I hated to admit it, I liked being around more people. Despite what happened last night, we were safer in numbers.

"We don't gotta decide now. Jus' go pack the tent." Daryl went back to work, clearly closing the book on our discussion. I could tell there was no way he was going to talk about what happened with Merle so I made my way back to the tent and began packing it up.

I was struggling to gather up all the tent poles when I saw Glenn walk by. I nodded at him and he paused. "Hey, need some help?" He asked, softly.

I shrugged, "Uh, I guess. Thanks." Glenn nodded and walked over. He knelt down next to me to gather some poles and I noticed he was all bruised up. His face definitely didn't look like that before they went back to Atlanta.

"You okay there?" I asked, gesturing to his face.

Glenn stopped what he was doing and ran his hand through his hair, embarrassed. "I'm good, yeah. It's nothing." He looked down again. "Suppose I should be asking you the same thing, huh?"

I shrugged. "I've been better." Glenn was trying not to catch my eye, he was definitely hiding something. Sneaky bastard. "So, what happened in Atlanta?" I asked, point blank.

Glenn scratched his head, not meeting my eyes. "He didn't tell you?" He cleared his throat, "I mean…Daryl didn't tell you?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, that's why I'm askin' you."

"Well… he wasn't –" Glenn was abruptly cut off.

"Hey!" Daryl called from across camp. "Get over here, Short Round, these bodies ain't pickin' themselves up!"

"Oh…uh ok!" Glenn shouted back, awkwardly. He turned back to me, "See you around…I'm sorry about your brother. Uh, Merle, I mean."

I just nodded, watching him walk away. What the fuck happened in Atlanta?

…

I heaved the last of our shit into the back of the truck, then heavily leaned against the tail gate. I was gripping my side, each breath I took in searing through my ribs when I heard the commotion. I watched as everyone gathered around Jim. I stood up and took a couple steps forward, trying to get a better look. "…Jim's bit!" was all I needed to hear. Fuck. I kept watching from a distance as the panic unfolded. Before I knew it, Daryl went after Jim with his axe raised and Rick had his gun out seconds later, pointed right at Daryl's head. I took off running.

I skidded to a stop between Daryl and Rick. I faced Daryl, "Put it down, Daryl." I said, as quietly as possible. Daryl barely moved and I grabbed the axe handle, pushing it down to his side. I put my hand on his chest and pushed him away from Rick. He never took his eyes off the cop, but I could tell when Rick put his gun down when the tension cleared from Daryl's face.

As soon as we were out of earshot, I said, "Daryl you're actin' like a fuckin' crazy person, ya know that?"

Daryl glared at me, "Those people are gonna get us all killed! They got that dead girl just layin' there like a time bomb, now they wanna keep that walkin' corpse around? No fuckin' way!"

I shook my head, "They don't think like you, Daryl. Maybe it's weak, but they jus' don't. Yer gonna get yerself killed if you can't get that, ok?"

"I ain't gonna wait around for one of them to come back and bite me!" He huffed, "Or worse, you!"

"I can take care of myself, Daryl." I said, then added, "You can too. We're gonna be fine. You don't always gotta protect me, you know?" I said looking down at my feet.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure." I could tell he was done talking so I just walked away. Sooner or later we were gonna have to sort out the shit that was going on between us. Now wasn't the time.

…

"You sure you don't want to ride in the RV, sweetie?" Jacqui asked me, putting her hand on my arm.

I mentally grimaced at the thought of sitting in a hot car, smelling the stench of Jim's dying body. "Uh, no. I'm good, but thanks." I said, trying to sound polite.

Jacqui nodded, "See you there. Be safe." I nodded back, putting on a small smile.

I met Daryl in the truck and we were on our way. We drove in silence for a while and I stared out the window. My stomach groaned loudly and I put my hand over it, wishing I had something to eat. "Hey," I said, looking over at Daryl, "You got any food or water?"

Daryl scoffed, "Nah. Wish I did though, I'm hungry as hell."

"Fuck." I said, looking out the window again.

"We'll stop off at the next Mcdonald's, how 'bout that?" Daryl asked, grinning at me, "Get somethin' from the drive through, huh?"

I couldn't help but laugh as I shoved him, "Shut up, asshole." I started rummaging around the car, looking for a distraction from the thirst and hunger. "Here we go," I muttered to myself, snatching up the cassette I found in the back of the glove box. I popped it in the cassette player.

I cranked up the volume and Garth Brooks blasted out of the speakers. I smiled to myself, looking out the window. After a couple tracks, a familiar song started to play. I looked over at Daryl, instantly remembering something. "Hey, remember that guy Dan?"

Daryl smiled just a little, "That little shit you used to date in high school?"

I smiled, "Yeah, that guy. He used to play this song for me, thought it was romantic or somethin'. I always thought it was a little sappy."

Daryl scoffed, "Yeah, just goes to show. That guy was a fuckin' pussy."

I shoved Daryl's shoulder again, "He wasn't that bad, you jerk."

Daryl just laughed. "Yeah, he 'wasn't that bad' til I caught you two –"

I cut him off, "Yeah, I got it, I was there. It was embarrassing enough the first time, don't need you bringin' it up now." I put up my hand. "'Sides, you did some stupid shit when we were younger too, just sayin'." I added, turning the tables.

Daryl just nodded, "Yeah, not denyin' that shit. Merle used to get us in all sorts of trouble…" Daryl just trailed off, his expression turning hard. I chose not to respond, knowing he was done talking for now.

…

We were about halfway to the CDC when the RV suddenly pulled off to the side of the road. "What the fuck…" Daryl muttered, pulling over like the rest of the cars.

I hopped out of the truck, grabbing my knife and putting it in my pocket. I turned back to Daryl when I saw smoke billowing out of the front of the RV. "Looks like it's busted again." Daryl nodded and opened his door.

While Daryl leaned against the side of the truck cleaning his arrows, I caught Shane's eye and walked over towards the group. I could tell they were talking about Jim when I walked up, so I just stood back and listened. Apparently Jim was ready to get off the RV and be left behind. "Look, if it's what he wants, then I think we outta honor his wish." Dale chimed in.

I tried to pay attention to the conversation, but my mind kept straying. I was so thirsty and hungry that it seemed to be all I could think about. I wanted to ask Shane or someone for water, but now seemed to be the wrong time. When I tuned into the conversation again, the decision seemed to be made. We would fix the RV up and leave Jim behind to die in peace.

While the rest of the group fussed over Jim, I went back to the truck and hung around, watching everyone. "Think we'll make it to the CDC today?" I asked Daryl. He shrugged and walked around the truck to stand next to me.

"Might make it just before dark if we get outta here quick." I nodded and continued to stare at the rest of the group.

Eventually the RV was repaired and we were ready to head out. Daryl and I made our way towards the edge of the forest to say goodbye to Jim. I wouldn't bother giving the guy a hug or anything, but it felt wrong not to acknowledge him at all. Daryl stayed by my side the whole time, and when everyone was done saying goodbye, we walked back towards the road.

I stopped Shane right before he was about to get in his Jeep. "Hey, you got any water?" I asked. I couldn't hold out any longer.

Shane nodded, rummaging around in his bag. "Got about half a bottle. You can have it." He tossed me the plastic bottle and I caught it, shooting him a small smile.

"Thanks, I could really use it…" I trailed off. Shane rolled his eyes and laughed while he got into his Jeep. I ran towards the truck, trying to ignore the pain in my ribs and slid in. Daryl's eyes shot towards the water bottle.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked, staring at me while I drank.

"Got it from Shane. Don't worry though, I don't mind if you'd rather stop at the next drive thru." I grinned at him and put the cap on the bottle, tossing what was left at him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" He muttered while he unscrewed the cap.

Once we got going again, it wasn't long before my eyes started to get heavy. It was easy to feel safe in a moving car, especially with Daryl right beside me. I couldn't remember the last time I really just slept. No thinking, no danger, just sleep. I leaned my head back on the seat and was out like a light.

…

"…Shit this place is crawlin' with walkers," I woke to Daryl's voice. He turned towards me as soon as he put the truck in park. "Hey, you awake?" He asked, shaking my shoulder roughly.

"Jesus!" I snapped, "My eyes are open, ain't they? Quit it." I said, pushing his hand away.

Daryl acted like he didn't hear me. "Listen up," he said, "you stick close to my side, ya hear?" I nodded, I could tell he was worried about making it through the crowd of walkers. "Take this," he said, passing me his gun. "Only use it if you have to, you got the knife too."

"I got it, Daryl." I said. He was acting like I didn't know this stuff, but I let him.

Daryl swiftly got out of the truck, moving to follow the others, and I did the same, keeping a tight grip on my knife and checking to make sure I had the gun handy. We stayed in a tight formation, keeping the moms and kids in the center and made our way towards the entrance to the huge building.

The walkers were everywhere, and pretty soon they started to get closer to us. As we walked, I spotted a woman in a tattered dress making her way over towards me, her grimy hands clawing at me. "Look out!" Rick shouted, just as I slammed my knife into the walker woman's skull. She fell to the ground and I pulled my knife out of her head, continuing on with the group. We were getting closer to the main entrance now and I felt Daryl grab me by the back of my shirt, pulling me closer to the group.

Another wave of walkers was stumbling towards us, and Daryl raised his crossbow, firing at the closest walker. He fell to the ground and I ran over to grab the arrow, bringing it up and slamming it into another walker's skull when it came up behind me. By then, we were close enough to the doors to realize they were locked and barricaded. I handed the arrow back to Daryl and pulled my gun out, ready to fire at any walkers that got too close while Rick pounded on the door.

"Let us in!" He shouted, over and over again. The walkers continued to get closer and I shifted my feet uneasily. Pretty soon we would be swarmed.

"Gotta go soon, these walkers are gettin' closer!" Daryl yelled, firing his crossbow again.

"Rick! Let's go man! Ain't nobody here!" Shane shouted.

"The camera! It moved!" Rick pointed up at the camera and began pounding on the metal doors.

"Daryl…" I muttered, grabbing at his shirt. We needed to get the hell outta there, and fast. I turned back towards Rick.

"Please! Let us in! You can't leave us out here! You're killing us!" Rick shouted over and over again.

Shane grabbed him and pushed him back towards the cars. "We gotta go NOW man!"

Before any of us could make another move, the doors burst open, illuminating the rapidly darkening area around us with light.

TBC

…

**A/N: Hello readers! I'm loving the Daryl and Merle interaction in season 3! It really gives me a lot of inspiration for where this story is going. I would love to hear what you think too, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello Readers! This chapter has been stewing for a while on my laptop so I thought I'd post it. Hope you enjoy it! **

Chapter 6

The light that filtered the area around the entrance was blinding. All of us briefly stared at it in shock before Rick ran inside. Daryl pushed me along in front of him and we all scurried into the large entranceway, pulling the doors shut behind us.

The lobby was dimly lit and I couldn't see a fucking thing. We all stayed huddled close together and stared around us. It didn't appear that anyone was around. "Hello?" Rick said, creeping closer into the building. "Anyone there?" I could still hear the ragged moans of the walkers outside and I shuddered.

We all snapped to alert at the sound of a gun cocking. "What do you want?" Came the voice of a man from the corner of the lobby. Daryl grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him.

"A chance." Rick said, his voice weary. I squinted my eyes trying to see the man in the corner, but could only make out his shadow. I hoped there weren't twenty other people with guns behind him.

"That's asking a lot these days." The man muttered. "Are any of you infected?"

Rick shook his head. "One of our group was… he didn't make it."

The man finally stepped into view. He didn't look at all like someone who normally carried around a shotgun. He had nerd written all over him. He was looking at all of us and I shifted my feet nervously. Daryl's grip on my arm tightened. "You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."

I felt a weight lifted off my chest and Rick nodded. "I think we can do that."

The man nodded and pointed towards the doors. "You got stuff you need to get, you do it now. Once these doors close, they won't open again."

Rick nodded and he, Daryl and Shane quickly ran out to grab our stuff. The rest of us stood awkwardly in the lobby while the mystery man continued to stare at us. I turned towards the front doors and stared out into the walker filled parking lot, watching for the guys to come back.

When I caught a glimpse of them running back towards the doors, bags in hand, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. They shut the doors behind them and Daryl handed me my bag. "Thanks." I muttered. Daryl nodded and we followed the others towards what looked like an elevator.

"Vi, seal the main entrance." The man said. The lights and power abruptly shut off and I jumped at the noise. It felt so strange to be around so much electricity and power. It almost felt wrong.

Rick held his hand out to the man. "Rick Grimes."

"Dr. Edwin Jenner." The man said, awkwardly not returning the handshake.

The giant elevator doors opened up and we all shuffled inside. Daryl and I stood against the back wall and I looked over at him as the elevator started to descend.

"Doctor's always go 'round packin' heat like that?" Daryl asked, pointing at the machine gun in Jenner's hand.

The doctor shrugged. "There were plenty left, I familiarized myself." He paused, looking at all of us once again. "You all seem harmless enough though," his eyes stopped when he looked down at Carl and he smiled. "Except you, I'll have to keep an eye on you." I rolled my eyes at his obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

Once we reached wherever we were going, the doors popped open and we all got out. Everything around us was so pristine, I felt like we all stood out like candles in a coal mine with our haggard appearance and dirty clothes. We all looked like fuckin' hobos off the street.

We eventually made our way into the main room and I was astonished at the size of it. There were probably about a hundred computers and various pieces of nerdy looking equipment lined up around the room, but I didn't see a single person. What the fuck was going on here? "Where are all the other doctor's?" Rick asked, reading my mind.

Jenner shrugged. "I'm it." We all raised our eyebrows in shock. This asshole was the only doctor left? While I listened to him explain that all the other doctors had either left to be with their families or killed themselves, I couldn't help but feel even more hopeless. This world would never return to the way it was and it was hard to accept that.

I continued to think about that while Jenner led us to what looked like a classroom so he could take our blood. We all lined up against the wall like it was a fuckin' lice check at school and waited our turn. Daryl put his crossbow on one of the desks in the room and sank down to the floor, leaning against the wall. I quickly followed suit, realizing all of a sudden that I was totally exhausted.

While the group went up one by one, I reveled in the silence of the room and the safety of it as well. There were no walkers in here, the place was clean and there was even air conditioning. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes, taking it all in, enjoying the cool air on my sweaty skin. I was just beginning to drift off when I felt Daryl elbow me in the ribs. Pain shot through my side and I jerked up, glaring at him. "What the fuck?" I hissed, grabbing my sore ribs.

Daryl nodded towards the front of the room. "It's yer turn."

I nodded and slowly got to my feet, realizing just how sore I was. All the adrenaline was quickly fading and the aches and pains were returning full force. I forced myself to stand up straight and walked to the front of the room and sat down in the chair next to Jenner.

I could feel his eyes on me, staring at the bruises and scrapes, probably making assumptions, and I instantly grew nervous. "What's under that bandage on your arm?" He asked, pointing at the bandage that covered my forearm.

I could feel the tension in the room ratchet up a few notches, and I sat up a little straighter. "Just a scrape." I said, meeting his eyes. He looked skeptical and I could feel myself starting to sweat.

"She ain't bit, doc." Daryl piped in, stepping towards us. He put his hand on my shoulder, ready to defend me.

Jenner nodded, still staring at the bandage. "Show me."

I quickly ripped at the tape that was holding the bandage to my forearm and peeled it off. The scrape underneath was clearly infected and angry looking, but definitely not a bite. Daryl scoffed from behind me as the doctor examined it closely. "Get a good look doc? Ain't no bite."

"I see that, I just have to be thorough." Jenner replied, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'll give you another bandage after I draw your blood."

I shook my head. "No need." I didn't need to draw any more attention to myself tonight. Daryl stood by my side the whole time like a guard dog, and when the doctor had his sample he led me back to our spot while the rest of the group had their blood drawn.

I zoned out for the next few minutes but perked right back up when I heard Jenner say, "Are you hungry?"

…

An hour later, we all sat around a large table eating the remains of a feast. Dale went around the table refilling wine glasses, and I happily accepted another. I leaned back in my chair feeling full from all the food and buzzed from the alcohol and listened to the conversation. Somehow, alcohol had a way of making all the pain go away and I almost felt like I was floating. "Why you nursin' that glass?" Daryl brought me out of my thoughts, slinging his arm over my shoulders.

"Ain't nursin' it!" I yelled, shoving him away. I looked up at Dale. "Dale! Tell this asshole how many times you refilled my glass!"

Dale counted on his fingers. "Let me think… one, two, three… too many to count!" Everyone laughed at that and Daryl ruffled my hair, standing up to grab more from the liquor cabinet.

"You know… I never realized how much I took for granted before all this. Like alcohol." Lori laughed, raising her glass to her lips.

"Workin' at the bar, I used to get so sick of lookin' at all the booze. I never thought I would miss it." I mused, thinking back to my drink mixing days.

"Are you even twenty one, pipsqueak?" Shane joked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"You bet yer ass I am! Want me to go get my ID and show ya?" I shot right back at Shane. He put his hands up and I laughed.

Daryl leaned against the bar near where Glenn was sitting and laughed. "You ain't seen nothin' yet. This girl is wild, you shoulda seen some of the shit – "

"Daryl!" I shouted, embarrassed. "Just drink yer booze and shut up."

"I'll drink to that!" Glenn shouted and the rest of the group chimed in. Crisis averted.

Pretty soon, everyone started to get tired from the huge meal and drinks, and I was ready to pass out. We all got up and followed Jenner down a long hallway. "The power's been shut down in most of the rooms, but the offices are still fully powered. Go ahead and pick a room but remember if you shower to go easy on the hot water."

At the mention of a shower I practically giggled in excitement. "Shower?" Glenn muttered, turning towards all of us with a huge smile on his face.

…

"Daryl!" I shouted, pounding on his door. I had been all ready to shower and realized I had nothing to change into. Daryl had all our stuff and of course the asshole had locked his door. I heard the sound of the shower and knew he was probably in the shower so he couldn't hear me. I sat down and leaned against his door, hoping he was quick.

I heard the door next to Daryl's open and Shane poked his head out, bottle of whiskey in hand. "The hell you doin' out here, Dixon?"

I shrugged. "Daryl's got all my stuff. I ain't puttin' on these dirty clothes after I shower."

Shane nodded, taking a swig out of his bottle. "Pipe down, I'm tryin' to drink in peace."

I stared at him for a couple seconds, trying to gauge if he was serious and then I burst out laughing. "I gotta ask you somethin', officer." I said, stumbling to my feet. I was definitely feeling all the wine I had drank.

"Shoot." Shane said, stepping into the hallway.

"How do you know _everything_?" I said, laughing at the thought. Shane raised his eyebrows and I went on. "Oh, come on! You know what I'm talkin' about. How did you know about my dad?"

Shane leaned against the wall. "I was a cop for cryin' out loud, it's my job! Plus, I seen yer scars. All three of ya have 'em, I just put the pieces together." Before I could respond, Daryl ripped open his door.

"Fuck's goin' on here?" He asked, rubbing his damp hair with a towel.

Shane rolled his eyes. "Ain't nothin' goin' on here, Dixon." He turned to me. "You should take a shower, you smell like shit."

I laughed, moving past Daryl to walk into his room. "Sorry fer stinkin' up the hallway."

"Whatever." I heard Shane mutter as Daryl slammed the door.

"How come you ain't showered yet?" Daryl asked as he hunted through his bag for a clean shirt.

"You got all my stuff and your door was locked." I replied. I opened my bag and rifled through it for some clean clothes. After I had found some reasonably clean things to put on, I searched for my shampoo and soap. "Sunavabitch where's my shampoo and soap?"

"I used it, it's in the shower." I rolled my eyes and stood up while Daryl dried his damp hair with his towel.

"Fuck it then, I'm usin' yer shower." I walked into his bathroom, still unsteady on my feet.

Just before I slammed the door, Daryl added, "Hey, you sweet on that cop out there?"

I laughed out loud, leaning against the door frame, staring at him, his hair all mussed up from the towel. "Why you so curious 'bout my love life, huh bro?"

"Jus' wonderin'," Daryl said, rummaging in his bag for something.

"Nah, he ain't my type. Its just outta anyone here, he's helped me out the most, ya know? When you were gone lookin' for Merle…" I hesitated, hating that I could barely say Merle's name, even as drunk as I was. "Fuck, I dunno, he just helped me out. Ain't nothin' between us or nothin' though." Daryl nodded, looking slightly relieved. Weirdo. "You know I'm holdin' out for that Asian kid, Glenn, though, right?" Daryl's jaw just about hit the floor. I couldn't keep a straight face. "I'm kidding! Take a joke, Daryl!"

"Aw hell," Daryl said, winding up to throw his dirty shirt at me. I slammed the door, dodging the gross shirt. I laughed while I threw my clean clothes on the toilet. I quickly stripped all my dirty clothes off and threw them on the floor in the corner. Before I could step in the shower I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror.

I looked terrible. I stopped laughing all together and stared at my reflection. I hadn't realized the bruise on my face was so huge. The whole left side of my face was black and blue and my hair was really wild, falling out of the ponytail that loosely held it together. I stood back from the mirror so I could really get a good look at myself. My ribs were a smattering of dark bruising on one side, and they were sticking out more than I ever remembered. Not eating consistently over the last couple months had really taken its toll.

I slowly peeled the bandages off my knees and the skin underneath was raw and a little bloody looking. I grimaced at the sight, wishing I had left the bandages on. At least I would be able to get them clean this way. I stepped into the shower and turned the water on, cranking the hot water up. I laughed out loud as the warm water beat down on my back. I was still happily buzzed and this shower was the best thing that happened to me in a long time.

By the time I stepped out, I had washed my hair and my body three times and all of the dirt and grime from the past months was miraculously gone. I felt like a new woman. I shrugged into the oversized t-shirt and shorts I brought and wandered out of the bathroom. It seemed like a cloud of steam rolled out of the bathroom along with me. Daryl was laid out on the couch, a bottle of something clutched in his hand. "Whatcha got there?" I asked, while I rummaged for a comb so I could get the tangles out of my snarled hair. "I'm losin' my buzz over here." I muttered, walking towards him.

Daryl just handed me the bottle of Southern Comfort. I shoved his feet off the couch and plopped down, taking a swig of the alcohol. I curled up into the arm rest, enjoying the warmth in my stomach. "You look like a cat over there." Daryl muttered.

"Well if yer big ass self wasn't takin' up so much room I could spread out a little too!" I responded, laughing. I sat up and began working the comb through my hair, getting the tangles out. My hair had grown a couple inches since the last time I had brushed it and it seemed so much longer.

Daryl laughed, "Yeah, whatever." We sat in comfortable silence, exchanging the bottle back and forth for a little while. The silence was nice and I was slowly unwinding with the alcohol. Once my hair was combed out, I braided it loosely down the middle so it would be out of my face and leaned back against the couch. Suddenly, Daryl sighed. "Can't stop thinkin' 'bout that damn roof." He said, throwing his arm over his eyes.

I sat up, wanting to hear more. "You gonna tell me what happened?" I asked, wishing I wasn't so drunk.

Daryl was quiet for a few minutes and just when I thought that was all he'd say about it, he began talking again. "Place was overrun by walkers when we got there. We made it through the mall and when we got to the roof the door was still chained. I assumed he'd just be sittin' there…but…" Daryl suddenly stood up and started pacing. I sat still, trying to stay silent and let him work through it in his head. "He fuckin' sawed off his hand… that's all that was there." Daryl said, throwing up his hands. I put my hand over my mouth, shocked and horrified by the image in my head. "I mean…why…why didn't he wait for me?" Daryl said, his voice slightly cracking.

"Daryl," I said, standing up to go to him. I swayed slightly, feeling dizzy. I couldn't tell if it was the booze or the thought of Merle cutting his hand off. "I'm so sorry…it was me…it was my fault." I felt like I was about to start crying. The happy buzz was long gone.

Daryl shook his head, "I wanted to blame it on you, but I just can't. It's like he…he jus' lost it. We both put up with it for so long and I guess…this was the end, right?"

I nodded, "He could still be alive, right?" I wanted him to be alive, I really didn't want this to be the end.

"I tracked him as far as I could. Someone took the van, my guess is he did it. We all thought he was headed to camp. I thought he was gonna go back and kill you or somethin'. Turns out he didn't go back for either of us." Daryl sat down on the couch again and put his head in his hands.

I sat next to him. "I guess he thought we left him, right?" I had no idea what Merle was thinking.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, he's the one that left us. Just like he did when we were kids. I mean I was just a kid, and you were so fuckin' little and he left us with that son of a bitch…" Daryl trailed off, taking a deep breath to stop himself.

"No sense goin' down that road tonight. What's done is done." I leaned my head against his shoulder. "You think we'll ever see him again? Merle?"

Daryl threw his arm around my shoulder. "World's a lot smaller now. 'Sides, no one can kill Merle but Merle, right?"

I laughed. "Yeah, guess so."

We sat for a couple minutes before Daryl nudged me away from him. "Jesus, you and this alcohol are makin' me all sappy tonight. Get outta here 'fore we start singin' lullabies to each other or some shit like that." I laughed and gathered my stuff. I left the room, waving goodbye over my shoulder.

…

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get myself to relax once I was by myself, tucked into bed with the lights turned off. I had grown so used to sleeping in the small tent with Daryl and Merle that it felt strange to not have them close to me. God, was I pathetic or what?

Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore so I grabbed my pillow and blanket and crept out into the hallway. I quietly opened Daryl's door and poked my head in. Daryl sat up as soon as he saw the light and I could tell he wasn't sleeping either. I shut the door and walked over towards the couch. I threw my pillow on the ground. "Just shut up, you don't gotta say anythin'," I muttered towards Daryl. I knew he would have some snarky comment.

I laid down on the carpet and adjusted my pillow, trying to get comfortable. Daryl sighed and I heard him stand up. "Take the couch." Daryl said in a no nonsense tone.

"If you insist…" I said, standing up to switch places. It was a hell of a lot more comfortable, that's for sure.

As soon as I got situated, I could feel myself getting tired. I was just about to fall asleep when Daryl snorted in laughter. "Jesus, it's like yer five years old again, huh? Can't sleep by yerself?" He laughed.

"Shut up," I said, groaning. "It's not like you were sleepin' either!"

"Yah whatever," Daryl said, yawning. "G'night, Lil."

"Night, Daryl." I rolled over and it seemed like I was asleep in seconds.

…

_It was the middle of the night and our house was quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were the occasional creaking noises from the floorboards and the wind whistling in from the windows. I wished I could go to sleep like everyone else but I just didn't feel good. I was so cold my little five year old body was shaking and no matter how tight I wrapped my blanket around me, I was still cold. On top of that my nose was running and my body hurt. _

_I slowly eased myself off my bed, sliding on my stomach until my toes touched the floor. I grabbed my blanket and dragged it behind me as I crept towards my door, trying to be as quiet as possible. If Daddy heard me walking around, he would be really mad. _

_Slowly and carefully, I made my way down the hallway, being careful to avoid the creaky spots. Finally, I made it to Daryl and Merle's room and I opened the door as quiet as I could. It was pitch black in their room and I stood in the doorway for a second while my eyes adjusted. Once I could see better, I crept into the room being careful to avoid the dirty clothes and shoes that littered the floor. _

_Merle's bed was on the far side of the room, furthest from the door, and Daryl's bed was on the side closest to the door. I made my way over to Daryl's bed, careful not to be too loud. I didn't wanna wake Merle up. Once I made it to Daryl's bed I saw that he was sound asleep, lying on his side. "Daryl," I whispered, poking his shoulder. We were pretty much eye to eye since I was so short and his bed was so high up. He stirred but didn't really wake up and I bit my lip. I didn't wanna be so loud that Merle woke up too. Then he would be mad. _

"_Daryl!" I whispered a little louder, poking him some more. His eyes shot open and he blinked a few times. _

"_What's wrong?" He said sleepily, flipping onto his back and rubbing his eyes. _

"_I don't feel good." I said, my voice breaking at the end. I sniffled as the waterworks started coming. _

_Daryl turned towards me again, squinting at me in the dark. "You sick or somethin'?"_

_I nodded. "Yeah." I gripped my blanket tightly as I wiped some more tears and snot off my face. Daryl leaned over and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me closer to the bed. I could make out his face in the darkness, squinting at me. _

"_Shit, kid I can't even see ya." Daryl said. He abruptly threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, grabbing me under the arms and lifting me. I dropped my blanket on the floor and clung to his neck as he carried me out of his room and shut the door, walking quietly towards the bathroom. Once he shut the bathroom door he sat me down on the counter and turned on the light. We both squinted at the brightness for a few seconds before Daryl really looked at me. _

"_I'm cold." I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself. _

_Daryl put his hand to my forehead and groaned. "You got a fever fer sure." He ran a hand through his hair and searched through our cabinets. "We ain't got nothing fer fevers here. Can ya stick it out till morning, Lil? I'll get ya somethin' as soon as I can." He grabbed some toilet paper and mopped up my snotty face. _

"_Guess so…" I muttered, still shivering._

"_Alright then." Daryl said, picking me up off the counter. He brought me to his and Merle's room and put me on his bed, grabbing my blanket off the floor and wrapping it around me tightly. "Try to sleep now, Lil. I'll be right here." Daryl said as he lay down on the floor beside his bed. He was quiet after that and I snuggled into his pillows, still freezing cold and feverish. Eventually I drifted off into a fitful sleep, taking comfort in the fact that my big brother was right beside me._

…

I woke up early, as I usually did after a night of heavy drinking. There weren't any windows in the room but I could tell it was just after dawn. Daryl was still sleeping, sprawled out on the floor below me, so I carefully eased myself off the couch, trying not to step on him, and made my way to the bathroom.

As I washed my face in the sink, I marveled at how much more relaxed I felt after a good night's sleep. Even though I felt slightly hung over and had a headache, I felt better than I'd felt in a long time. When I opened the door, the light from the bathroom flooded the room and Daryl rolled over, squinting at me. "Put out that light, girl…" he muttered, shielding his eyes. No doubt he was feeling hung over as well.

"Sorry," I said, shutting the light off. The room was still dark, but I could see what I was doing as I leaned over my bag, searching for an outfit to wear. "gotta wash some clothes today." I said, noting that I only had a single clean shirt and pair of shorts." Daryl grunted in response as he stood up, stretching a little before making his way to the bathroom. I heard the shower go on as I continued organizing my bag, putting the dirty clothes aside to be washed.

By the time I had everything all organized, Daryl had emerged from the bathroom, looking much more himself. "You gonna wash my clothes too?" He asked, throwing on a flannel shirt with his jeans.

"You'd be so lucky." I shot back, smirking at him. He rolled his eyes, moving towards the door.

"Let's go find somethin' to eat."

…


End file.
